TSMC manufactures advanced chips designed by Nvidia, Apple, and AMD.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, commonly abbreviated TSMC, is the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry. A foundry manufactures chips designed by other companies, allowing customers to focus on architecture, software, and product development without owning equivalent fabrication facilities.
TSMC was founded in Taiwan in 1987 by Morris Chang. Its pure-play foundry model helped separate chip design from manufacturing and became central to the modern semiconductor industry. The company operates fabrication plants in Taiwan and has also announced or built facilities in places including the United States, Japan, and Germany.
TSMC is often confused with chip designers such as Nvidia or AMD. Those firms create chip architectures and products, while TSMC commonly manufactures them. Its market capitalization is tied to demand for advanced processors, smartphone chips, data-center hardware, automotive semiconductors, and the enormous cost and difficulty of leading-edge fabrication.