Taipei, January 19, 2026, 07:13 (GMT+8) — Premarket.
- Taiwan’s CNA reported TSMC declined to comment on a report it may add four advanced IC assembly plants in Taiwan.
- TSMC’s Taipei-listed shares last closed up nearly 3%; U.S.-listed shares ended slightly higher on Friday.
- Investors are watching for possible confirmation next week and what the plan means for capacity tied to AI hardware.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s shares were in focus before trade in Taipei on Monday after Taiwan’s state-run Central News Agency reported the chipmaker stayed tight-lipped on a media report that it plans four new advanced integrated circuit (IC) assembly plants in Taiwan. (Focus Taiwan – CNA English News)
The timing matters. Assembly and packaging — the back-end work that connects finished chips into usable modules — has become a choke point for high-end AI processors, not just the chipmaking itself. More capacity there can move delivery times and pricing power, especially for data-centre parts.
TSMC’s shares (2330.TW) last closed up 2.96% at T$1,740 on Friday, while its U.S.-listed stock (TSM) rose 0.2% to $342.40. U.S. stock markets are closed on Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. (Yahoo Finance)
Taiwan’s Liberty Times, citing supply-chain sources, said TSMC would build two assembly plants in the Chiayi Science Park and another two in the Southern Taiwan Science Park this year, according to the Taipei Times. The report also said senior vice president Cliff Hou is scheduled to outline the investment next week. (Taipei Times)
TSMC has tried to cool some of the froth around the AI buildout, even as it lifts spending. Asked about bubble concerns, Chief Executive C.C. Wei said the company was “very nervous,” adding that careless investment “would be a disaster for TSMC,” Reuters reported. (Reuters)
Still, the company’s bigger budget has already ricocheted through the chip supply chain. Han Dieperink, chief investment officer at Aureus, said the market had “underestimated” AI demand and how fast it is arriving, while Citi analysts said ASML’s outlook into 2027 and beyond was strengthening as TSMC accelerates factory buildouts. (Reuters)
But the Taiwan plant plan is still just that — a report. TSMC has not confirmed the projects, and buildouts can shift with demand, permits and customer timing. A slowdown in AI orders would also test the logic of pouring more money into capacity that is expensive to keep full.
Traders will watch Monday’s open in Taipei for whether the stock holds onto last week’s gains, then look for any company update from Hou next week. For the wider chip complex, ASML’s earnings on Jan. 28 are the next big checkpoint, and TSMC’s ADR won’t trade again until Tuesday because of Monday’s U.S. holiday.
