
Asian company achieves $1 trillion valuation for first time
The surge, fueled by relentless global demand for advanced AI chips, placed TSMC in the trillion-dollar market cap club alongside US tech giants Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta. The only other non-US member in the club is Saudi Aramco, the national oil and gas company of Saudi Arabia.
TSMC plays a critical role in the global tech supply chain, manufacturing semiconductors for major American customers, including Nvidia and Apple. In 2024, North American clients accounted for an estimated 70% of the company's total revenue, according to Reuters. Last week, TSMC raised its full-year revenue growth forecast to around 30%.
In January, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs of up to 100% on foreign-made semiconductors – including chips from Taiwan – as part of a push to revive domestic manufacturing.
In March, TSMC announced a massive boost to its investment in the US, pledging an additional $100 billion on top of a previously committed $65 billion for advanced semiconductor manufacturing operations in Phoenix, Arizona. TSMC has described the project as the 'largest-ever single foreign direct investment in US history.'
When Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs were unveiled in April, semiconductors were excluded.
Taiwan is a self-governed island that China views as part of its own territory. Beijing insists on eventual reunification, opposing foreign interference.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Russia Today
3 hours ago
- Russia Today
EU-US tariff deal a ‘positive' development – Italy's Meloni
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of the closest European allies of US President Donald Trump, has welcomed the EU's trade deal with Washington despite criticism of the terms at home. After months of talks, the EU has reached a trade agreement with the US that sets a baseline 15% tariff on most exports, including cars, while steel and aluminum remain at 50%. The deal was reached at a meeting between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday. Both called it a 'powerful' and 'stabilizing' breakthrough. Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Meloni called the agreement a positive development. 'I think it's positive that there's an agreement,' Meloni, who had previously criticized Trump's tariff drive and pledged to pursue a zero-for-zero deal, said. Italy is one of Europe's top exporters to the US, with a trade surplus exceeding €40 billion ($46 billion). Opposition leaders, however, slammed Meloni for failing to secure better terms. Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte wrote: 'There is a winner – US President Trump – and a loser, or rather two: The EU and Giorgia Meloni.' He warned the tariffs could cost Italy €23 billion in exports and threaten 100,000 jobs. Democratic MEP Stefano Bonaccini echoed the criticism, saying, '15% tariffs are better than 30% but worse than zero,' and warned of 'tens of billions' in losses. Former Labor Minister Andrea Orlando called the deal a 'rip-off,' saying Meloni's friendship with Trump failed, while slamming von der Leyen as 'either incompetent or acting in bad faith.' Meloni defended the deal, saying it helped avert a 'head-on clash' with the US. She argued that the 15% tariff is 'sustainable' as it will not add to previous tariffs, but will bring 'stability.' Economists at the Kiel Institute warned of a drop in production and job losses across the EU, with Germany expected to take the biggest hit. The Federation of German Industries (BDI) called the deal an 'inadequate compromise,' with the 'only positive aspect' being the prevention of further escalation.


Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
US-EU trade deal is ‘fiasco'
The new EU-US trade agreement is an economic and political 'fiasco' that undermines the bloc's sovereignty, veteran right-wing French politician Marine Le Pen has said. The agreement, finalized by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump on Sunday, averted a full-blown trade war between Washington and Brussels. Under its terms, the EU will commit to increased imports of US energy and military equipment, while the US reduces its proposed 30% tariffs to a flat 15% on most European exports. Le Pen, a key member of France's National Rally party, the largest opposition group in the National Assembly, condemned the deal, calling it 'a political, economic and moral fiasco' for the EU. 'Politically, because the European Union, with 27 member states, obtained worse conditions than the United Kingdom,' she said, referring to the fact that the UK agreed to 10% tariffs – which was widely regarded as a bad deal. Le Pen also accused Brussels of accepting unequal terms on exporting American gas and weapons that she claimed no patriotic French government would have agreed to. 'This is an outright surrender for French industry and for our energy and military sovereignty.' She added that the deal sacrifices the interests of French farmers to benefit Germany's automotive industry, pointing to 'clauses forcing us to further open the single market to American agricultural products in exchange for reduced taxes on German automobile exports.' 'This globalization that denies and shatters sovereignty has been outdated for many years… The least that could be done is to acknowledge this stinging failure rather than asking the French, who will be its first victims, to rejoice in it.' Le Pen's criticism was echoed by former Belgian Prime Minister and MEP Guy Verhofstadt, who called the agreement 'scandalous' and 'a disaster,' which failed to secure any concessions from the American side. Trump described the agreement as 'probably the biggest deal ever reached in any capacity, trade or beyond trade.' Von der Leyen said the deal brings 'certainty in uncertain times,' adding that a 15% rate 'is the best we could get.'


Russia Today
3 days ago
- Russia Today
US-made microchips come at a cost
Microchips manufactured in the US cost as much as 20% more than the equivalent produced in Taiwan, according Lisa Su, CEO of US tech giant AMD, a leading buyer of the products. Washington has been pushing to boost domestic manufacturing of advanced semiconductors as part of its great power competition with Beijing. Access to such chips has emerged as a key battleground. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), pinned between the conflicting economic and geopolitical interests, announced it would shift some manufacturing to Arizona in 2020. Speaking at an artificial intelligence conference in Washington on Wednesday, AMD CEO said the chip cost difference was 'more than 5% but less than 20%.' However, in an interview with Bloomberg Television, she described the premium as worthwhile. 'We have to consider resiliency in the supply chain,' Su said. 'We learned that in the pandemic.' In 2022, then President Joe Biden signed legislation that allocated $280 billion to boost US domestic semiconductor production. More recently, AMD and President Donald Trump announced plans for $100 billion in new investments to build five additional chip fabrication plants on American soil. However, TSMC said its production in the US has faced challenges, including high construction costs, a shortage of skilled labor, and logistical hurdles. The Trump administration has also imposed export controls on high-end chips, particularly those used in artificial intelligence, in a bid to curb China's access to the most advanced technology. The restrictions have prompted Beijing to accelerate its own domestic chip development programs. Taiwan has been self-governed since the end of China's civil war in the 1940s, when nationalist forces retreated to the island. Beijing views the territory, under a US-backed government, as an inalienable part of China. The Chinese government has said it seeks peaceful reunification with Taiwan, but has repeatedly warned it would use force if Taipei declares formal independence. Taiwan's rapid industrialization in the 1970s, driven by low labor costs and foreign investment, helped pave the way for its semiconductor dominance. TSMC was founded in 1987 as part of that broader strategy to move into advanced manufacturing.