TSMC posts third-highest monthly sales ever in November

Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) reported its third-highest monthly revenue on record in November, delivering a year-on-year increase despite a slight monthly dip, the company said Wednesday in a statement.

The world's largest contract chipmaker posted NT$343.61 billion (US$11.01 billion) in consolidated sales for the month, down 6.5 percent from October but up 24.5 percent from a year earlier. The figure trailed only October's NT$367.47 billion and April's NT$349.57 billion.

TSMC's sales for the first 11 months of the year rose 32.8 percent year-on-year to NT$3.474 trillion.

Combined October-November sales reached NT$711.09 billion, indicating that the company is on track to meet its fourth-quarter guidance of US$32.2 billion to US$33.4 billion, based on an assumed exchange rate of NT$30.6 to the U.S. dollar, according to the statement.

TSMC said it expects its U.S.-dollar sales to grow nearly 35 percent this year, driven by robust demand for AI-related chips and a gradual recovery in other end markets.

The company is expected to set new records for both revenue and profit this year and will continue doing so in the years ahead, TSMC Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) said recently.

The chipmaker has also forecast accelerating demand for advanced semiconductors used for artificial intelligence. As large language models grow rapidly in token scale, computing requirements and demand for AI accelerators -- including data center GPUs and application-specific chips -- are surging, TSMC said.

It has forecast that its revenue from AI accelerators will grow at a compound annual rate, exceeding its previous estimate of 45 percent from 2024 to 2029, making it a key engine of future growth.