TSMC hits yet another record as profit surges 39%, beating estimates on AI chip demand surge (www.cnbc.com)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company reported a record third-quarter profit, rising 39.1% year‑over‑year to NT$452.3 billion and beating LSEG SmartEstimates, with revenue up 30.3% to NT$989.92 billion (versus NT$977.46 billion expected). Growth was driven by its high‑performance computing division—covering AI and 5G workloads—and strong orders from major customers such as Nvidia and Apple. TSMC is now Asia’s largest tech company by market cap and said advanced chips (7‑nanometer and smaller) accounted for 74% of wafer revenue in the quarter. For the AI/ML community this is a clear signal that demand for AI accelerators is translating into real foundry revenue and capacity prioritization. The heavy share of sub‑7nm production implies more devices with denser transistors, higher throughput and better power efficiency—key enablers for larger models and faster inference. The results also underscore the capital‑intensive nature of modern chipmaking: sustained AI demand will keep TSMC investing in advanced process nodes and capacity, influencing supply dynamics, pricing and timelines for AI hardware across the ecosystem.