HONG KONG (bdexpress.news) \u2014 Taiwan\u2019s leading computer chip maker, TSMC, said Thursday that its net profit surged nearly 40% in the last quarter, boosted by the surge in use of artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. is the world\u2019s biggest semiconductor manufacturer. It reported a net profit of a record 452.3 billion new Taiwan dollars ($15 billion) in the July-September quarter, higher than analysts\u2019 forecasts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company earlier said its revenue jumped 30% year-on-year in the last quarter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
TSMC has been building chip fabrication plants in the United States and Japan to help hedge against risks from China-U.S. trade tensions. The chipmaker is a major supplier to companies such as Apple and Nvidia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDemand for TSMC\u2019s products is unyielding,\u201d Morningstar analysts wrote in a note this month. \u201cGiven TSMC\u2019s dominance, we doubt the company would be hindered if it faced tariffs on shipments to U.S. customers. We expect AI demand to stay resilient.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick proposed last month that computer chip production be divided 50-50 between Taiwan and the U.S. Taiwan — where the majority of global chip manufacturing is currently based — rejected that idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The company has committed $100 billion in U.S. investments, including building new factories in Arizona, on top of $65 billion that it pledged earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n