TAIPEI, Feb 1, 2026, 23:07 (GMT+8) — Market closed.
- On a visit to Taiwan, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang urged TSMC to ramp up production
- TSMC’s shares listed in the U.S. dropped 2.7% on Friday, while its Taiwan-listed shares declined 1.7%
- Next up: TSMC January sales release set for Feb. 10
Shares of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. are set to draw attention when trading restarts Monday. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, speaking in Taipei, said he’ll need “a lot of wafers” from TSMC this year to fuel AI chip demand. For clarity, wafers are the silicon slices used in chip production. TSMC’s C.C. Wei declined to take questions, but Huang mentioned the company could boost capacity by “much more than 100%” over the next decade. Reuters
Timing is crucial. Over the last month, investors have wrestled with whether the AI surge is slowing from a sprint to a steadier pace — and how that shift impacts chip supply chains.
TSMC finds itself at the center of the storm. Should customers ramp up their demand for wafer capacity, or if the foundry needs to boost spending to keep pace, the conversation swiftly moves from growth to profitability.
TSMC’s U.S.-listed shares (TSM) dropped 2.65% to close at $330.56 on Friday. Over in Taiwan, the stock (2330.TW) slipped 1.66%, finishing at T$1,775.
Risk appetite took a hit. On Friday, U.S. stocks fell after Donald Trump picked Kevin Warsh to lead the Federal Reserve, and the producer price index—an indicator of wholesale inflation—came in hotter than expected. “You’ve got uncertainty … and that’s an element of angst,” said Terry Sandven at U.S. Bank Asset Management. Chip equipment maker KLA Corp slumped post-earnings, dragging the S&P 500 down. Reuters
Taiwan’s latest data showed a solid headline boost. The government’s statistics agency reported preliminary Q4 GDP surged 12.68% year-on-year, propelled by strong demand in AI and high-performance computing sectors. Capital Economics expects export demand to remain “very strong” through the next year, signaling little chance of rate cuts. Revised GDP figures and a 2026 forecast update are set for release on Feb. 13. Reuters
Monday’s key question for traders: will the stock follow Friday’s slip in U.S. tech, or will the weekend’s buzz around suppliers steer it differently? Samsung and Intel remain in the mix as rivals, with clients considering their long-term capacity. Still, TSMC leads the pack on the cutting-edge nodes.
But there’s a catch. Heavy spending won’t ensure seamless execution, and any slowdown in AI orders could quickly sour sentiment. Back in January, Wei described TSMC as “very nervous” about the chatter around an AI bubble and stressed the need to be cautious with its $52–$56 billion capital budget. Reuters
TSMC will release its January monthly sales figures on Feb. 10 at 1:30 p.m. Taipei time.
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