It would be wrong to claim that TSMC does not cooperate with Intel at all, since the latter has been ordering the Taiwanese company to manufacture semiconductor components that are part of the Core central processors for several years now. However, the management of the former company denied rumors about TSMC’s intentions to take control of Intel’s American enterprises.
Image Source: TSMC
This information was persistently discussed last quarter, and some sources claimed that TSMC even allegedly agreed to form a joint venture with Intel, within the framework of which it will manage the work of the latter’s American factories and share its technology and experience with it. All these rumors were firmly denied by TSMC CEO C.C. Wei at today’s quarterly earnings conference.
«”TSMC is not involved in any discussions with other companies regarding any joint ventures, technology licensing, or technology transfer or exchange,” the company’s CEO said categorically on a quarterly earnings call Thursday. It should also be taken into account that TSMC had previously promised the US government to increase its capital expenditures on developing its own facilities in the country by $100 billion over the next few years, and to build not only three additional wafer processing factories, but also two chip testing and packaging facilities. This initiative in itself implied that TSMC would expand its presence in the US on its own.
At the quarterly event on Thursday, the head of TSMC also maintained his forecast for revenue growth this year (25%), as well as capital expenditures (from $38 billion to $42 billion). He expressed hope that the company’s revenue in the segment of components for artificial intelligence systems will double by the end of the year. This should offset the possible negative impact of customs tariffs, but TSMC does not feel it yet, in any case.