Top chip manufacturer TSMC is ready to invest $1 billion in Anthropic and OpenAI, giving the Taiwanese chipmaker direct stakes in two of the most prominent AI developers. The move comes even as TSMC’s contract chipmaking business has profited enormously from the buildout of AI data centers.
How much is TSMC investing in OpenAI and Anthropic?
The company’s board approved plans to invest up to $500 million in OpenAI preferred stock reserved for large investors. It also approved another $500 million to purchase Anthropic common shares at the company’s expected initial public offering price, according to Reuters.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the investment may give markets “a shot of confidence as the artificial-intelligence trade shows signs of strain.”
Why are analysts skeptical of TSMC's AI investments?
Not everyone sees the deals as a clear signal of strength. Analysts told the Journal that circular financing among investors, suppliers and customers has made it difficult to evaluate real market demand for AI-related hardware and services.
Why does TSMC's business depend on AI data center demand?
The concern has a direct link to TSMC’s business. The company’s fabrication plants physically produce the vast majority of Nvidia’s chips designed for AI data center workloads. They also make most of Apple’s custom chips, which power iPhones, Mac laptops and desktops, as well as Apple’s planned AI computing server.
Most of TSMC’s fabs are in Taiwan, but the company also operates fabs in Japan and China. It has an expanding U.S. manufacturing cluster in Arizona and is building a new fab in Germany.
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