TSMC posts record quarter

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. said on April 10 that first-quarter revenue rose 35.1% from a year earlier to NT$1.134 trillion, or about $35.7 billion, the highest quarterly sales in its history. (tsmc.com) The company’s March revenue alone was NT$415.19 billion, up 45.2% from March 2025 and 30.7% from February 2026, capping a quarter that beat market forecasts. Reuters reported analysts had expected about NT$1.125 trillion for the quarter. (tsmc.com) (reuters.com) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing does not design most of the chips it sells. It manufactures chips for customers including Nvidia and Apple, and CNBC said the April 10 sales update reflected continued demand for advanced processors used in artificial intelligence servers and premium devices. (cnbc.com) Those advanced chips come from the smallest production nodes, the manufacturing generations measured in nanometers. In its January results, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing said 3-nanometer chips made up 28% of fourth-quarter wafer revenue, 5-nanometer made up 35%, and 7-nanometer made up 14%, putting 77% of wafer revenue in leading-edge technologies. (tsmc.com) The first-quarter sales figure also landed just before the company’s full earnings report. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing’s investor site says its first-quarter 2026 earnings conference is scheduled for April 16, with guidance of $34.6 billion to $35.8 billion in revenue, gross margin of 63% to 65%, and operating margin of 54% to 56%. (tsmc.com) The supply question sits underneath the revenue number. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing’s production is concentrated in Taiwan, and a 2025 Energy Policy study on Taiwan’s chip industry said the global semiconductor supply chain faces “unprecedented risks” because advanced manufacturing is heavily concentrated there amid rising cross-strait tensions. (sciencedirect.com) Another pressure point is industrial gas. Taipei Times reported on March 19 that concern had risen over helium supplies after Qatar shut down liquefied natural gas and helium output earlier in March, and the report said Qatar accounts for about 33% of global helium output. (taipeitimes.com) Industry groups have tried to calm the market. The same Taipei Times report said Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International told a Taipei seminar there was no immediate chip supply shortage, even as it acknowledged higher prices and tighter conditions for helium and other inputs. (taipeitimes.com) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing has been building capacity outside Taiwan as customers and governments push for more geographic spread. The company’s January earnings materials said it expects 2026 capital spending of $52 billion to $56 billion, while its Arizona expansion remains one of the biggest overseas bets in chip manufacturing. (tsmc.com) For now, the clearest number is still the sales line: a record quarter driven by chips at the center of the artificial intelligence buildout, with the fuller test coming when Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing reports profit and margin details on April 16. (tsmc.com)