TAIPEI, April 18 (Reuters) – Taiwanese chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC) posted a 9 percent rise in first-quarter net profit on Thursday, beating market expectations, thanks to soaring demand for semiconductors. -conductors used in artificial intelligence applications.
The world’s largest chipmaker, and a major supplier to Apple and Nvidia, has benefited from the rise in artificial intelligence that has offset lower demand for electronics due to the pandemic and has pushed the group’s action to a record level.
TSMC saw its January-March net profit increase to 225.5 billion Taiwan dollars (6.53 billion euros), compared to 206.9 billion Taiwan dollars a year earlier.
This figure exceeded the NT$218.1 billion predicted by LSEG SmartEstimate.
Group revenue reached $18.87 billion in the first quarter, above the company’s forecast range of $18.8 billion to $18.8 billion.
TSMC stock, listed in Taipei, has jumped 36% since the start of the year.
ASML, a major supplier to semiconductor makers, reported smaller-than-expected new orders in the first quarter on Wednesday, even as its sales in China remained stable despite import restrictions imposed by the United States. (Report by Yimou Lee and Faith Hung with Ben Blanchard; French version Federica Mileo, edited by Blandine Hénault)