Parkev Tatevosian, CFA has positions in Nvidia. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Apple, Nvidia, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Parkev Tatevosian is an affiliate of The Motley Fool and may be compensated for promoting its services. If you choose to subscribe through his link, he will earn some extra money that supports his channel. His opinions remain his own and are unaffected by The Motley Fool. ...

TSMC is set to be a huge beneficiary of the ongoing surge in AI data center demand.The artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure market is booming, with demand for AI data centers surging. Chip designer Nvidia (NVDA +1.65%) has predicted that AI data center capital expenditures (capex) could grow at a 40% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the next five years to between $3 trillion to $4 trillion by 2030. Given the current market trends, that doesn't seem like a stretch. Right now, the big three clou ...

Taiwanese prosecutors charged Tokyo Electron for failing to prevent staff from allegedly stealing TSMC trade secrets https://t.co/dBEKhFop5u ...

One analyst expects Apple to become a major customer of Intel's foundry services.While nothing is official or guaranteed, Intel (INTC 1.36%) may be on track to win Apple (AAPL +1.52%) as a major foundry customer. In a recent post on X, Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo noted that visibility around Intel becoming an advanced node supplier had "improved significantly."According to Kuo, Apple's experience with an early process design kit (PDK) for Intel's 18A-P process, an enhanced version of its Intel 18A process, has met ...

Taiwan prosecutors said on Tuesday they had charged Tokyo Electron's Taiwan unit with violating the National Security Act and the Trade Secrets Act after a former employee was indicted for stealing tr... ...

December 1, 2025 05:27 AM GMT Semiconductors | North America Asia trip takeaways highlight AI strength testing the limits of semiconductor ecosystem | What's Changed | | | | --- | --- | --- | | Broadcom Inc. (AVGO.O) | From | To | | Price Target | $409.00 | $443.00 | | NVIDIA Corp. (NVDA.O) | | | | Price Target | $235.00 | $250.00 | Focus is AI strength across the board; we raise estimates on AVGO but importantly also for NVDA, as we see both ramping materially next year. We also focus on memory strength an ...

It's no secret that I'm a huge Nvidia fan from an investment standpoint. However, there's one stock that I think is a better pick in the artificial intelligence (AI) realm than Nvidia: Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM +0.54%). Personally, I don't think that Taiwan Semiconductor will outperform Nvidia over the next few years. However, it offers one important quality: Diversification.I think this makes Taiwan Semiconductor a better investment than Nvidia, and it gives investors some safety when it comes to investing ...

Summary of Key Points from the Conference Call Industry Overview - **Industry Focus**: Semiconductor and Semiconductor Capital Equipment (SPE) sector - **Market Forecast**: Wafer Fab Equipment (WFE) market is projected to grow by 2% YoY in CY2025, 11% in CY2026, and 8% in CY2027, driven by increased demand for generative AI and improved capital expenditure (capex) from device makers [2][6][15] Core Insights - **WFE Market Growth**: The WFE market grew approximately 9% YoY in 2024 and is expected to expand further due to rising demand for complex technologies such as DRAM interconnect etching and 3D NAND flash memory layers [6][15] - **Semiconductor Shipments**: Global semiconductor shipments increased by 28% YoY in September 2025, marking 25 consecutive months of growth, driven by advanced logic chips and HBM for generative AI [6][15] - **Advanced Packaging Technologies**: The Taiwan advanced packaging equipment sector is expected to see structural growth, with significant demand for CoWoS and CoPoS technologies, particularly in AI applications [7][24][47] Technology Developments - **CoWoS and CoPoS**: CoWoS capacity is forecasted to reach 105k and 125k wafers per minute (wfpm) by the end of 2026 and 2027, respectively. CoPoS is anticipated to succeed CoWoS by 2028, potentially increasing average selling prices (ASP) by 50-100% due to its complexity [7][24][47] - **HBM-TCB Technology**: Flux-based TCB is expected to dominate until 20-Hi HBM5, with a shift to HCB anticipated due to physical limitations. Hanmi is expected to maintain a significant market share in TCB technology [8][49] Stock Recommendations - **Preferred Stocks**: - **Japan**: Tokyo Electron (8035 JT) and Advantest (6857 JT) are favored due to their exposure to the growing WFE market and increased test times [8][49] - **Taiwan**: Grand Process Tech (3131 TT) is preferred over Scientech (3583 TT) and All Ring Tech (6187 TT) based on advanced packaging ramp-up timelines [7][47] Additional Insights - **Capex Trends**: TSMC's capex is projected to increase to $48 billion in 2026 and $52 billion in 2027, driven by generative AI demand and technology transitions [24][47] - **Memory Chip Market Dynamics**: The memory chip market is expected to experience a stronger and longer-lasting upcycle, with rising prices for DRAM and NAND chips due to supply constraints and increased demand for AI applications [24][25] - **Chinese Semiconductor Market**: Preference for SPE makers and foundries is noted, with expectations of sustained capex and domestic demand, while fabless companies may face margin pressures [25][49] Conclusion - The semiconductor industry is poised for significant growth driven by advancements in AI and technology, with specific focus on WFE and advanced packaging technologies. Stock recommendations reflect a positive outlook on companies well-positioned to benefit from these trends.

Key Takeaways from the China 2H25 CIO Survey – Renewed Optimism Industry Overview - **Industry**: Technology in Asia Pacific, specifically focusing on China - **Survey Focus**: CIOs' IT spending expectations and trends for 2025 and 2026 Core Insights - **Optimism in IT Spending**: CIOs have raised their 2025 IT budget growth forecast by 160 basis points to 7.4%, with expectations for 2026 indicating a robust growth of 12.6% YoY, surpassing the average growth of 11.7% from 2020-2025 [7][39] - **AI and Cloud Migration**: Significant optimism is driven by advancements in Generative AI (GenAI) and cloud migration, with 62% of CIOs expecting a substantial impact from AI in 2026 [7][50] - **Budget Allocation**: 57% of CIOs plan to allocate an average of 3.8% of their IT budgets to physical AI investments, projected to increase to 7.8% over the next three years [7][52] Sector-Specific Insights - **Software and IT Services**: The sector shows the highest growth expectations, with 9.9% for 2025 and 13.1% for 2026. The industry view has been upgraded to In-Line from Cautious due to normalization of budgets and potential steady growth recovery [25][39] - **Semiconductors**: Structural growth is anticipated from AI, with a preference for foundry, OSAT, and memory sectors over chip design. Localization trends are expected to benefit companies like SMIC and Naura [25][26] - **Hardware**: Expectations for spending are less optimistic, particularly for PCs, while AI-related hardware is expected to see growth due to increased demand for AI workloads [30][68] - **Internet Sector**: Favorable outlook for Alibaba and Tencent due to potential AI upside, with public cloud spending expected to stabilize and regain momentum in 2026 [31][69] Investment Implications - **Preferred Stocks**: Companies such as Beisen (software), TSMC (semiconductors), and various hardware manufacturers are highlighted as preferred investments due to their strong positioning in AI and cloud trends [34][70] - **Cautious Outlook on Traditional Tech**: Traditional tech sectors, particularly the PC supply chain, are viewed with caution due to margin pressures from rising memory prices and less defensive nature [25][68] Additional Observations - **CIO Confidence**: The up-to-down ratio for budget revisions improved to 3.2x, indicating increased confidence among CIOs regarding IT spending [39][49] - **Long-term Growth Factors**: 47% of CIOs expect IT spending to grow as a share of revenue over the next three years, with business expansion cited as the primary reason for increasing IT budgets [15][42] - **AI Prioritization**: AI/ML remains the top priority for CIOs, despite a slight decrease in immediate spending expectations, with a focus on customer-facing applications for revenue growth [61][62] This summary encapsulates the key findings and implications from the China 2H25 CIO Survey, reflecting a renewed optimism in technology investments driven by AI and cloud migration trends.

Core Viewpoint - Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is well-positioned to benefit from the increasing sales of top chipmakers in the AI sector, with significant growth expected in global data center spending [1][3][10]. Industry Overview - Nvidia projects that annual global spending on data centers will reach between $3 trillion and $4 trillion by 2030, raising questions among investors about the feasibility of such optimistic forecasts [2]. - The AI chip market is competitive, with Nvidia leading but facing challenges from AMD and Broadcom, which may capture some of Nvidia's market share due to their performance and value propositions [4]. Company Position - TSMC is a leading chip foundry capable of producing advanced chips, holding a majority share of the third-party chip foundry market, and is the primary manufacturer for major tech companies [6][5]. - The company is expanding its manufacturing capacity globally, with a $165 billion investment in the U.S., which is already yielding results as Nvidia's Blackwell chips are being produced at TSMC's Arizona facility [8][9]. Technological Advancements - TSMC has developed cutting-edge 3-nanometer chip technology and is set to launch 2-nanometer chips, which are expected to be 25% to 30% more energy-efficient than their 3-nanometer counterparts [9][10]. - The focus on energy efficiency is crucial for AI data center operators, providing TSMC with a competitive edge and the ability to charge a premium for its services [10]. Financial Metrics - TSMC's current market capitalization is $1.512 trillion, with a gross margin of 57.75% and a dividend yield of 0.99% [8]. - The stock is considered reasonably priced at 22 times next year's earnings, especially given its rapid growth compared to other companies in the AI sector [11][12]. Investment Outlook - TSMC is expected to be one of the best performers in the next five years, second only to the leading company in AI chip design, whether that be Nvidia, Broadcom, or AMD [12].