TSMC Quarterly Chip Manufacturing Equipment Demand Nearly Doubles This Year

Odaily Planet Daily News – TSMC (TSM.N) Co-Chief Operating Officer Hou Yongqing stated today that as the company expands its production capacity to meet the demand for artificial intelligence, its need for chip manufacturing equipment has nearly doubled compared to the end of last year. Hou Yongqing mentioned that the company has raised its quarterly equipment procurement estimate to approximately 1.9 times the forecast level from December last year. This is the latest indication of strong demand from AI developers and the large-scale expansion of global data centers further driving chip demand. TSMC is currently facing a shortage of experienced construction workers as it attempts to build and equip approximately 20 factories in Taiwan and overseas, marking an unprecedented level of expansion in the company's history. In the past, TSMC typically advanced the construction of 4 to 5 new plants simultaneously. Hou Yongqing stated: "We are currently pushing forward at almost 4 to 5 times the previous pace, yet still unable to meet the demand." (Jin10)