April 20, 2026 -
By Kim Eun-jin, Business Korea
TSMC, the world’s largest foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturing), has proven the continued strength of Big Tech’s investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure by announcing record-breaking financial results. Its overwhelming revenue growth and upwardly revised annual capital expenditure (CAPEX) are interpreted as signs of robust demand for AI. For Samsung’s foundry division, this situation is analyzed as both a crisis and an opportunity.
On April 16, TSMC announced that its first-quarter net profit reached 572.5 billion Taiwanese dollars (approximately 26.7 trillion won or $18.1 billion). This marks a 58.3% increase from the same period last year and a new record high. Both its net profit and second-quarter revenue guidance surpassed market expectations, resulting in an ‘earnings surprise’. This is interpreted as a reflection of the expanding demand from AI Big Tech.