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Chip stocks surge after TSMC boosts outlook on soaring AI demand

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Global semiconductor stocks rose on Thursday after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) issued a strong revenue forecast and reported record quarterly profits, underscoring surging demand for chips that power artificial intelligence systems.

TSMC — the world’s largest contract chipmaker and a key supplier to Nvidia and Apple — raised its full-year revenue guidance to mid-30% growth, up from around 30%, citing stronger-than-expected AI spending and data center expansion. Analysts say this marks a shift from a cyclical boom to a structural uptrend driven by AI infrastructure demand.

“This isn’t just a transient spike. TSMC’s blowout quarter tells a clear story — this is structural,” said Kate Leaman, chief market analyst at AvaTrade.

The upbeat forecast sent semiconductor stocks higher worldwide. Micron Technology gained about 4%, Broadcom climbed 2.4%, Marvell Technology added 1.3%, and Nvidia rose 1.2%. In Asia, Samsung Electronics advanced 2.8%.

The rally came amid a week of massive AI-related deals, including BlackRock’s $40 billion acquisition of data-center operator Aligned and a partnership between OpenAI and Broadcom to build 10 gigawatts of custom chips — enough to power more than eight million U.S. homes.

The developments reinforce Wall Street’s conviction that AI hardware remains the core driver of tech investment, nearly three years after ChatGPT’s debut. On Wednesday, Salesforce also projected revenue above $60 billion by 2030, driven by rapid AI integration across its cloud services.

TSMC lifts revenue forecast on surging AI chip demand after record profit

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s largest chipmaker, raised its full-year revenue forecast after reporting a record quarterly profit, citing booming demand for artificial intelligence chips. The results reinforced investor confidence in the AI megatrend, which continues to drive growth across the semiconductor industry despite fears of overheating.

TSMC said it now expects 2025 revenue to grow in the mid-30% range in U.S. dollar terms, up from its previous forecast of around 30%. The company maintained its capital expenditure outlook at up to $42 billion for 2025. “AI demand continues to be stronger than we expected three months ago,” CEO C.C. Wei told analysts, adding that customer requests for expanded capacity remain high.

The company’s robust performance comes amid a flurry of billion-dollar partnerships between AI developers and chipmakers, including OpenAI’s collaborations with Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom to build massive data center capacity. TSMC manufactures chips for all three, as well as for Apple.

In the July–September quarter, TSMC’s net profit surged 39.1% year-on-year to T$452.3 billion ($14.76 billion), easily beating market expectations of T$417.7 billion. Wei said the company remains confident that demand for leading-edge semiconductors is “real” and will continue through 2026, despite geopolitical uncertainties and potential U.S. tariffs on chip imports.

TSMC shares have risen 38% this year, far outpacing Taiwan’s broader market, as the company cements its dominance in the global AI supply chain.

MIT spinout Vertical Semiconductor raises $11 million to develop efficient AI power chips

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Vertical Semiconductor, a startup spun out of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has raised $11 million in funding to commercialize a new generation of gallium nitride (GaN) power chips designed to deliver electricity more efficiently to artificial intelligence data centers, the company announced on Wednesday.

Led by Playground Global, the funding will help the company bring its vertical transistor architecture to market. The technology aims to reduce the massive energy losses that occur when power is converted from grid-scale voltages to the tiny levels needed by microchips—losses that typically generate significant amounts of heat instead of usable power.

“That is power you are not delivering to computing tasks—it straight turns into heat,” said Matt Hershenson, a partner at Playground Global.

AI data centers, which power tools like ChatGPT, consume enormous amounts of electricity—comparable to that of entire cities. As a result, chipmakers including Renesas, Infineon, and Power Integrations are partnering with Nvidia to develop next-generation GaN power chips.

Vertical Semiconductor’s innovation lies in stacking transistor components vertically rather than spreading them horizontally, making the chips smaller, more efficient, and cooler. The company plans to deliver prototypes this year and begin full production in 2026.

The firm was co-founded by MIT professor Tomas Palacios and researcher Joshua Perozek, whose doctoral work laid the foundation for the technology. CEO Cynthia Liao, formerly of MIT Sloan, said the company’s chips could offer data center operators step-change energy savings rather than incremental improvements.

“We do believe we offer a compelling next-generation solution that is not just a couple of percentage points here and there, but actually a step-wise transformation,” Liao said.