TSMC authorizes up to $1.5 billion for AI and chip investments

On Tuesday, TSMC’s board authorized up to $1.5 billion across three investment commitments, according to the company’s filing: $500 million for Anthropic common shares at the IPO price, $500 million for preferred stock in OpenAI Group PBC, and $500 million to establish a semiconductor investment company.

The move makes the world’s largest contract chipmaker an equity investor in two companies described as major buyers of AI computing. The $1.5 billion is a ceiling across three approvals, not a disclosed day-one cash outlay; the separate $40.93 billion capital appropriation identifies the capacity, packaging, fab and R&D commitments.

What does TSMC gain from the Anthropic deal?

TSMC Partners will buy about $500 million of Anthropic stock at the IPO price, matching the board’s $500 million ceiling. The purchase forms part of Anthropic’s $26 billion private placement, disclosed Nov. 10 in an amendment to the company’s S-1.

Google, Nvidia, AMD, Broadcom, Micron and Microsoft will buy alongside TSMC Partners. Anthropic’s indicated range is $70 to $78 per share, and the Financial Times reported that its bankers now expect pricing above that range. That is a market expectation, not a confirmed transaction price.

The Anthropic structure gives TSMC a defined pricing reference in the IPO price. OpenAI’s preferred-stock terms provide no comparable valuation in TSMC’s disclosure, so investors cannot compare the two $500 million commitments on the same basis from the announcement.

How much is committed to OpenAI?

The OpenAI approval covers up to $500 million of preferred stock in OpenAI Group PBC. TSMC did not say when the investment would close or at what valuation, leaving both the timing and price undisclosed.

The third authorization commits up to $500 million to a new investment company for strategic investments across the semiconductor industry and its related ecosystem. The three approvals combine customer-linked equity with a broader mandate for ecosystem financing.

What is AI demand doing to the business?

Reuters, reporting the plan on Tuesday, noted that TSMC is a critical supplier to AI companies including Nvidia and expects about 44% revenue growth this year. That figure is TSMC’s expectation cited by Reuters, not an independent forecast in the filing.

MLQ.ai reported that October sales rose 60% from a year earlier while TSMC’s revenue continued to run at records. The equity stakes give TSMC direct financial exposure to two major buyers of AI computing, while the separate capacity program will shape how the foundry serves broader demand.

Two different growth signals. The 44% figure is TSMC’s revenue-growth expectation for the year, as cited by Reuters; the 60% figure is a reported year-over-year change in October sales. Neither disclosure provides a monthly revenue amount for October.

What does the $40.93 billion authorization cover?

The board approved capital appropriations of about $40.93 billion, up from about $29.44 billion approved in August. The authorization covers:

• advanced-technology and advanced-packaging capacity;
• fab construction; and
• 2027 R&D and sustaining spending.

The authorization is broad. It reaches into production capacity, packaging, new fabs and engineering work rather than one disclosed project. The announcement does not specify wafer sizes, process nodes or a plant-by-plant schedule, so the figure cannot yet be translated into a precise volume of chips.

The increase from $29.44 billion to $40.93 billion puts a larger capacity, packaging and R&D commitment behind TSMC’s AI strategy. For TSMC, the Anthropic and OpenAI stakes add direct financial exposure to compute buyers; for Nvidia and the wider AI-chip supply chain, the operating question is whether TSMC adds enough advanced-technology and packaging output in time.

How strong were the results and dividend?

The same meeting approved third-quarter results showing consolidated revenue of NT$1,494.24 billion and net income of NT$763.06 billion, equal to NT$29.43 per diluted share.

The board set the cash dividend at NT$9.0 per share, up from NT$7.0 in each of the first two quarters of 2026 and NT$6.0 a year earlier. Payment is scheduled for April 8, 2027, for holders of record on March 17; common shares and ADSs go ex-dividend on March 11.

The higher dividend accompanies the reported 60% year-over-year October sales increase, but the figures measure different things: shareholder distributions on one side, operating momentum on the other. Capital appropriations sit separately as board-approved investment authority, not reported quarterly capital expenditure.

TSMC must now convert the $40.93 billion authorization into timely advanced-technology, packaging and fab capacity if it is to sustain the roughly 44% revenue growth Reuters cited and remain a critical supplier to Nvidia and other AI companies.