Taiwan, TSMC still dominate chips
Reports highlight Taiwan's outsized role in advanced chip production and place Taiwan at roughly 90% of advanced output, while TSMC reported record first‑quarter revenue of $35.6 billion, up about 35% year‑over‑year. ( )
Taiwan still makes more than 90% of the world’s leading-edge chips, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company just posted its biggest first quarter on record. (trade.gov, tsmc.com) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the contract manufacturer that builds chips for firms including Nvidia and Apple, said on April 10 that January-through-March revenue reached NT$1.1341 trillion, or about $35.6 billion. The company said that was up 35.1% from the same quarter a year earlier. (tsmc.com, cnbc.com) March alone brought in NT$415.19 billion, up 45.2% from March 2025 and 30.7% from February 2026, according to the company’s monthly sales report. CNBC reported the quarter beat analyst estimates compiled by London Stock Exchange Group. (tsmc.com, cnbc.com) Leading-edge chips are the smallest and fastest processors now in mass production, typically used in artificial intelligence servers, smartphones, and advanced military systems. The United States Department of Commerce says Taiwan accounts for more than 90% of this segment, while the island also holds more than 60% of global foundry revenue. (trade.gov, ieknet-eng.iek.org.tw) That concentration has kept Taiwan at the center of supply-chain planning as the United States, Japan, and Europe spend heavily on domestic chip plants. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company said on March 4, 2025 that it would add $100 billion to its United States buildout, bringing its planned investment in Arizona to $165 billion. (tsmc.com, whitehouse.gov) Even with that expansion, the company’s most advanced work remains anchored in Taiwan. TSMC Arizona says its third Phoenix fab is slated for N2 and A16 process technologies later this decade, while Taiwan officials said in December 2025 that the island would keep its “most advanced” chips at home. (tsmc.com, france24.com) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company also keeps widening its lead over rival foundries. TrendForce said TSMC’s share of global foundry revenue reached 70% in the second quarter of 2025, far ahead of Samsung. (trendforce.com) The result is a chip map that is changing slowly, not quickly: more fabs are being built outside Taiwan, but the hardest-to-make chips and the biggest profits are still concentrated on the island. TSMC’s latest revenue report showed that concentration is still paying off in April 2026. (trade.gov, tsmc.com)
