Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday reiterated that the company has not entered discussions with any company about potential investments or partnerships amid ongoing rumors of ailing Intel Corp seeking TSMC’s participation.
In a statement, TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, dismissed a report by the Wall Street Journal, saying that Intel had approached TSMC soliciting investment in Intel’s manufacturing operations or a partnership.
The company said it has never entered into talks with any company on establishing a joint venture or engaging in the licensing or transfer of technology.
Photo: I-Hwa Cheng, AFP
That stance was similar to previous statements made by TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) on several occasions when asked about a potential partnership with Intel.
Rumors about TSMC’s possible acquisition of a stake in Intel have been circulating for months.
After the Wall Street Journal report surfaced, TSMC’s American depositary receipts (ADRs) fell 1.44 percent overnight in the US, caused by fears that the Taiwanese chipmaker could lose the trust of its clients and see a fall in orders if it were to work with Intel, analysts said.
TSMC’s investments in Intel could help the US company improve its technology, which would create a stronger competitor for TSMC, while a partnership could result in technology leaks from the Taiwan side, analysts said.
Intel, which has been unable to keep up with TSMC on semiconductor manufacturing technologies, has secured investment from the US government, Japan’s Softbank Group and California-headquartered Nvidia Corp to support Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan’s (陳立武) bid to turn around the ailing chipmaker.
After the US government took a 10 percent stake in Intel, the US chipmaker last month received US$2 billion in investment from Softbank and then a US$5 billion pledge last week from Nvidia.
After several years flying high as Asia’s best Nvidia Corp proxy, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) is increasingly vying with other artificial intelligence (AI) stocks for investor attention. Stock traders are chasing a wider array of beneficiaries as mainstream usage of AI creates demand for hardware beyond the most-advanced chips TSMC makes for Nvidia. Subthemes from the deepening memory crunch to advances in robotics are also luring bids. At the same time, investment caps on single stocks are pushing funds to diversify, while retail investors long familiar with TSMC through its US depositary receipts are being offered a broader set of
UNDER MICROSCOPE: Taiwan detained three people who allegedly conspired to buy servers in Taiwan and export them using fraudulent documentation, prosecutors said Nvidia Corp chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Saturday urged Super Micro Computer Inc to tighten up on compliance after Taiwan detained three people this week for allegedly making fraudulent declarations about artificial intelligence (AI) servers made by its US partner. The development marked the nation’s first crackdown on semiconductor smuggling, which grew after the US slapped restrictions on exports of high-end chips such as Nvidia AI accelerators to China. Nvidia is “rigorous” in explaining regulations to all of its partners, Huang told reporters after arriving in Taipei. “Ultimately Super Micro has to run their own company,” he said in response to
TECH RELIANCE: Growth is increasingly reflecting an unequal K-shaped distribution, where technology sectors outperform and other industries struggle, an expert said Standard Chartered Bank has significantly raised its forecast for Taiwan’s economic growth to 9.5 percent this year, up from 7.6 percent previously, citing surging artificial intelligence (AI) demand driving exports, semiconductor production and investment. The upgrade reflects a sustained AI supercycle that continues to fuel demand for advanced chips and technology infrastructure, which form the backbone of Taiwan’s exports, the bank said in a report this week. “We raise our 2026 growth forecast to reflect a much stronger-than-expected first-quarter GDP figure,” Standard Chartered senior economist for greater China and Asia Tommy Wu (胡東安) said in the report. Driven largely by a 35.3 percent
Two of Taiwan’s international carriers, Starlux Airlines Co (星宇航空) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空), have retained the five-star airline rating awarded by international airline review organization Skytrax. Starlux was awarded the distinction for a second consecutive year, while EVA Air received it for the 11th straight year, Skytrax said in statements released yesterday and on Thursday last week, respectively. The five-star rating is considered one of the airline industry's highest honors and is awarded following professional audits of airline product and frontline service standards, Skytrax said. The ratings are based on in-depth assessments using unified global quality standards rather than customer review scores
RSS