Taiwanese chipmaking giant TSMC has reported record third-quarter revenue of $46.71 billion, smashing market expectations as demand for advanced semiconductors continues to soar.
The world’s largest contract chipmaker posted revenue of T$1.49 trillion (€41.72 billion) for the three months ending September 2026, up 50 per cent from the same period last year. That comfortably beat the T$1.46 trillion (€40.88 billion) forecast produced by LSEG’s SmartEstimate, which draws on predictions from 19 analysts.
The figures suggest the semiconductor industry’s enthusiasm for throwing enormous amounts of money at AI infrastructure has yet to show much sign of slowing.
TSMC manufactures advanced processors for some of the industry’s biggest customers, including Nvidia and the Fruity Cargo Cult Apple. Nvidia’s appetite for high-performance chips has been a key driver of the foundry’s extraordinary growth.
September proved particularly lucrative, with revenue climbing 54.6 per cent year on year to T$511.86 billion (€14.33 billion). The performance followed strong growth during July and August, when revenue increased by 44.7 per cent and 53.3 per cent respectively.
The quarterly total comfortably exceeded TSMC’s earlier revenue guidance of between $44.6 billion and $45.8 billion, suggesting that demand remained stronger than the company had anticipated.
The chipmaker has become one of the biggest beneficiaries of the industry’s spending spree, with customers depending on its manufacturing technology to produce their most advanced processors.
Its position gives TSMC considerable influence in an industry where access to leading-edge manufacturing capacity has become increasingly important.
Despite the impressive revenue figures, investors were hardly throwing a party. TSMC’s Taipei-listed shares fell 1.35 per cent ahead of the announcement, following a broader decline in Asian markets.
The company’s market valuation has reached approximately $2.1 trillion, reflecting its increasingly central position in the global semiconductor business.
Analysts expect the Taiwanese outfit to report third-quarter net profit of around T$740.8 billion (€20.74 billion), up about 64 per cent from a year earlier. That remains a forecast, with the company yet to publish its full earnings figures.
TSMC is scheduled to release its detailed third-quarter financial results on 15 October, when investors will get a clearer picture of profitability, manufacturing expenditure and expectations for the final months of the year.
The earnings conference should provide further indications of how long the current demand for advanced manufacturing capacity can sustain its extraordinary pace.
