TSMC is now the world’s largest semiconductor maker by revenue, beating Intel and Samsung
Did you know that the world’s largest semiconductor company will build a second semiconductor fabrication plant in response to rising customer demand in Japan? Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) said in a statement a week ago. Interestingly, it is Toyota Motor and Sony that have invested in the venture which is said to be USD20 billion.
Japan Advanced Semiconductor Manufacturing (JASM), a subsidiary majority-owned by TSMC, plans to start construction by the end of 2024, it added. The facility is scheduled to be operational by the end of 2027.
Meanwhile, TSMC shares rose as trading resumed after the Lunar New Year holiday, helped by strong January sales and bullish sentiment for chip stocks globally. TSMC shared rose 8.4 percent beating its rivals, Qualcomm, Apple and Nvidia.
TSMC has been the world’s number one contract maker of chips for years, but its earnings have long been significantly below those of Intel and other leading memory makers.
However, a lot has changed in recent years, and in 2023, TSMC’s revenue exceeded that of Intel and Samsung. TSMC also leads in operating profit, showing that the company continues to rake in cash as the world’s foundry.
TSMC is now the largest chip semiconductor company in the world of any kind. Despite a challenging year, TSMC earned USD69.3 billion in 2023, significantly more than Intel, whose revenue dropped to USD54.23 billion, and Samsung, which earned USD50.99 billion.
Based on fourth-quarter guidance, Nvidia could end 2023 with revenue of over USD58 billion, the analyst estimates, so it will outperform both Intel and Samsung, but not TSMC.
TSMC is a newcomer to this top spot, as historically, it has lagged Intel and Samsung despite being the world’s largest foundry. TSMC’s revenue began to increase rapidly in 2020, largely because of the coronavirus pandemic and increased demand for everything digital, including PCs and game consoles.
And since modern production nodes are generally expensive to use, TSMC’s revenues are indeed increasing. Since TSMC has pulled ahead of Intel and Samsung in terms of process technologies, it can enjoy selling its services at a hefty premium, which definitely helps with revenue.
