Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, known as TSMC, was founded in 1987 by Morris Chang in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Chang pioneered the pure-play foundry model after recognizing that chip design could be separated from manufacturing.
TSMC serves over 500 customers worldwide and manufactures nearly 12,000 products annually. The company commands approximately 64% of the global foundry market, with Apple, Nvidia, and AMD among its largest clients.
Headquartered in Hsinchu Science Park, TSMC remains Taiwan's largest company by market capitalization. It stands as the world's most valuable semiconductor manufacturer, producing chips used in smartphones, computers, and AI systems.
About TSMC
Sector: Technology
Industry: Semiconductor Foundry
CEO: C.C. Wei
Website: tsmc.com
Headquarters: Hsinchu, Taiwan
Founded: 1987
Status: Public (TWSE: 2330, NYSE: TSM)
TSMC Founders
TSMC History
FAQs
Who owns TSMC?
TSMC is majority-owned by foreign institutional investors. The government of Taiwan holds the largest single stake. The company trades publicly on Taiwan Stock Exchange and NYSE. Similar to chipmakers like Intel, ownership is distributed among thousands of shareholders.
When did TSMC come out?
TSMC was founded on February 21, 1987, in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Morris Chang established the company after leaving his position at the Industrial Technology Research Institute. Production at its first fab began in 1988.
Who made TSMC logo?
TSMC developed its logo in-house in 1988. The design features a stylized semiconductor wafer with grid patterns representing chip dies. The red horizontal bar at the bottom represents the wafer flat used for manufacturing orientation.