Core Insights - TSMC reported a record net profit of NT$398.3 billion in Q2, driven by surging AI demand [1][2][6] - The net profit increased by nearly 61% year-on-year, exceeding market expectations of NT$376.4 billion [2][6] - Following the earnings announcement, TSMC's stock rose by 2.9% in after-hours trading, reaching US$244.5 [3] Financial Performance - TSMC's Q2 revenue was NT$933.79 billion, a year-on-year increase of 38.6%, surpassing analyst expectations of NT$931.24 billion [5][8] - The diluted earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter was NT$15.36 [7] - Gross margin stood at 58.6%, while operating margin was 49.6% [8] Segment Performance - Revenue from high-performance computing (HPC) related to AI accounted for 60% of total revenue, with a quarter-on-quarter growth of 14% [11] - Mobile chip revenue represented 27% of total revenue, increasing by 7% quarter-on-quarter [11] - Revenue from IoT chips and automotive chips each accounted for 5% of total revenue, with IoT chips growing by 14% [11] Future Guidance - TSMC expects Q3 sales to be between US$31.8 billion and US$33 billion, with an operating margin forecast of 45.5% to 47.5% [14] - The company anticipates full-year capital expenditures to reach between US$38 billion and US$42 billion [14] Market Dynamics - The growth of TSMC is primarily driven by strong demand for AI-related chips, particularly those with process nodes smaller than 7nm, which accounted for 74% of total wafer revenue [14] - The AI demand is expected to remain sustainable in the short term as the technology continues to expand across various industries [14] - However, TSMC may face challenges in the second half of the year due to the appreciation of the New Taiwan Dollar and potential declines in orders from smartphone and PC customers [14]