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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.

BlackRock, Nvidia, and Microsoft lead $40 billion deal for AI data center giant Aligned

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A powerful investor group including BlackRock, Microsoft, and Nvidia has agreed to buy Aligned Data Centers, one of the world’s largest data center operators, in a $40 billion deal aimed at securing critical infrastructure for artificial intelligence development.

The acquisition from Macquarie Asset Management marks the first major investment by the AI Infrastructure Partnership, a consortium that also includes Abu Dhabi’s MGX fund and Elon Musk’s startup xAI. The group plans to deploy up to $100 billion in capital, combining equity and debt, to expand global AI infrastructure.

“With this investment in Aligned Data Centers, we further our goal of delivering the infrastructure necessary to power the future of AI,” said Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock and chairman of the partnership.

The move underscores the massive surge in spending by tech giants on computing capacity. Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Microsoft, and CoreWeave are collectively expected to spend around $400 billion on AI infrastructure this year, according to Morgan Stanley. Meanwhile, OpenAI has inked multibillion-dollar deals with Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom to secure chip and data capacity worth over $1 trillion.

Founded in 2013, Aligned operates more than 80 data centers across 50 campuses in the U.S. and Latin America, with over 5 gigawatts of operational and planned capacity. The company has been a key beneficiary of the AI infrastructure boom, raising $12 billion in capital earlier this year.

Aligned will remain headquartered in Dallas, Texas, under CEO Andrew Schaap. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2026.

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.