TSMC became Asia’s most valuable listed company by market capitalization in 2024.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, usually abbreviated TSMC, benefited from surging demand for advanced chips used in artificial intelligence systems. Its market value rose sharply as customers relied on TSMC’s manufacturing expertise for powerful processors and accelerators.
TSMC was founded in Taiwan in 1987 by Morris Chang and pioneered the dedicated semiconductor foundry model. Rather than selling its own branded general-purpose processors, it manufactures chips designed by other companies, including major technology firms.
TSMC is often compared with Samsung Electronics, but the businesses are structured differently. Samsung designs and sells many of its own products and chips, while TSMC is best known for manufacturing chips for external customers. Market capitalization reflects investor valuation, not semiconductor production volume alone.