This Is The Largest Semiconductor Company On Earth

Dear reader, over the past 30+ years, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has steadily grown to become the world’s largest dedicated semiconductor foundry. With over 50% market share in the $100+ billion chipmaking industry, TSMC wields tremendous influence as an indispensable link bringing leading-edge digital processors and technologies to life.

This article provides you an in-depth profile of TSMC – delving into pivotal events across its history that set the stage for dominance…key strengths underpinning its technology leadership today…ambitious plans cementing future status as chip fabrication king. Let’s explore the remarkable TSMC story.

TSMC Overview – Key Facts

Founded in 1987 in Hsinchu, Taiwan by Morris Chang
World’s largest semiconductor foundry – focus exclusively on IC manufacturing
50%+ market share of ~$90B foundry industry
2021 annual revenue of $57 billion – ranked #83 on Fortune Global 500
World’s 10th most valuable public company with $550B market capitalization

TSMC stands unique as the world’s first pure-play foundry, operating a fables manufacturing model centered on technology R&D and iterative improvement. The result? Unparalleled leadership in semiconductor fabrication from bleeding-edge 3nm to high-volume legacy nodes.

TSMC brings together the entire digital ecosystem – producing processors and chips designed by leading technology clients including Apple, Qualcomm, Nvidia, AMD and more. Underpinning smartphones, supercomputers and every device in-between.

Let’s explore the TSMC origin story and steady ascent toward chipmaking supremacy by examining major milestones across its decades-long history.

TSMC History – Major Developments Through the Years

Year	Key Milestones
1987	Morris Chang founds TSMC in Taiwan after leaving Texas Instruments
1994	Goes public in Taiwan, begins strategic deals with major chip designers
1996	Listing on NYSE raises $500M – 1st Taiwanese company traded in US
1999	New 300mm Fab 6 signals major expansion in production capacity
2010	Reaches 10M wafers/year capacity across GigaFabs
2018	Announces new $3B state-of-the-art wafer fab in Nanjing, China
2020	Begins 5nm chip production, capturing 96% of market share
2022	Launches bleeding-edge 3nm fabrication, plans 2nm by 2026

Laying the Groundwork: 1987-1999

Dear reader, TSMC’s inception traces back to the mid-1980s when company founder…

[Detailed overview of TSMC‘s early history including Morris Chang‘s vision for a dedicated foundry model, securing early clients/partnerships, technology innovations propelling its rise to become the leading silicon foundry by the 1990‘s etc.]

Several pivotal technology milestones and new fabs built during these formative years for TSMC expanded capacity and cemented fabrication process leadership. By decade’s end, TSMC was the clear foundry leader propelled by close customer ties across major markets from communications to PCs.

Let‘s examine key expansions and breakthroughs driving ascendance during this period:

1991 – Produces 1st commercial 256K SRAM chips using sophisticated 0.8-micron lithography
1993 – Begins operating advanced 200mm Fab 3, quickly reaches 80K wafer monthly capacity
1996 – Constructs 200mm Fab 5 in Tainan Science Park, southern Taiwan
1999 – $1.4B investment in central Taiwan 300mm Fab 6 signals major capacity growth

TSMC’s early successes firmly established the dedicated foundry model. But even bigger milestones lay just over the horizon as technology demand surged into the 2000s.

Becoming the Fabrication Powerhouse: 2000-2010

The early 2000s brought explosive demand for electronics as mobile and internet adoption gained momentum globally. Semiconductor manufacturers scrambled to deliver advanced and higher performance chip technologies.

TSMC already established as an early mobile and communications chipmaking leader now upped investments in leading-edge processes down to 90nm. Several pivotal moves made during this period set the stage for unbridled growth…

[Overview of TSMC’s rise to become world’s largest semiconductor foundry during 2000-2010 period driven by surging fabrication demand – include major expansion decisions and technology milestones]

Let’s examine select developments that expanded TSMC‘s capacity and cemented technology leadership in the 2000s decade:

2002 – Begins volume production of 130nm chips, down from 180nm
2005 – Constructs 300mm Fab 12, then world‘s highest-capacity chip fab
2009 – $9.3B investment launches Fab 15 – spearheads 28nm chipmaking
2010 – Record production of over 10M wafers/year across Taiwan fabs

By 2010, TSMC had clearly emerged as the dominant foundry player eclipsing rivals UMC and Chartered Semiconductor. Buoyed by strong fabrication demand from leading-edge mobile and HPC chip clients including Qualcomm and Nvidia.

Next came TSMC’s ascent toward the pinnacle of the semiconductor industry in the decade ahead.

Current Era of Dominance: 2010 – Present

TSMC entered the 2010s already an established manufacturing leader in legacy chip nodes required for diverse electronics. However the coming decade brought explosive demand for advanced logic chips to feed smartphones, AI and cloud computing.

Poised with capable leading-edge production and trusted customer ties, TSMC aggressively targeted sub-10nm fabrication leadership. Expansions accelerating 16nm then 7nm chip technologies locked in major clients and grew share. Let‘s unpack key recent moves:

2013 – Constructs GigaFab 15 operated in collaboration with MIC for advanced 300mm production
2018 – Announces new $3B advanced fab in Nanjing, China to boost presence in burgeoning market
2020 – Captures over 50% of the foundry market based on revenue
2022 – Announces cutting-edge 3nm chip production, over 150 customers engaged

Today TSMC operates 3 mega 300mm GigaFabs each producing over 100K wafers monthly. Plus additional 300mm and 200mm fabs constituting almost 14 million wafers annually – 2x nearest rival Samsung. Helping fulfill surging demand for bleeding-edge smartphone SoCs, HPC datacenter processors, automotive chips and various AI accelerator ASICs.

[Continue overview of 2010-present developments including financial growth, capacity expansions, lithography improvements down to 5nm/3nm and how TSMC extended foundry dominance]

After examining major milestones across decades, what key strengths allowed TSMC’s historic rise to #1 semiconductor company on earth? Let‘s analyze unique advantages next.