January 2, 2026, 04:05 ET — Premarket
- TSMC’s U.S.-listed shares last closed up 1.4% at $303.89.
- A new U.S. licence covers chipmaking-tool imports for TSMC’s Nanjing, China fab after prior exemptions expired.
- Investors are also weighing a Reuters report that Nvidia has approached TSMC to ramp H200 AI-chip output for China.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited’s U.S.-listed shares were set to stay in focus in premarket trading on Friday after the chipmaker said it had secured a U.S. licence covering imports of American chipmaking equipment for its China operations. The stock last closed up 1.4% at $303.89. Reuters
The approval lands as investors track how U.S. export controls are reshaping supply chains for chipmakers with China exposure. For TSMC, it removes a near-term operational question around tools for its Nanjing facility after prior exemptions expired at year-end. Reuters
Chip stocks are also entering 2026 with markets alert to swings in “AI” (artificial intelligence) sentiment and rate expectations, which can quickly reprice growth-heavy tech names. “Periodic shifts in sentiment around AI are likely to remain a feature of equity markets,” said Saira Malik, chief investment officer at Nuveen, in a Reuters markets report. Reuters
The U.S. licence “ensures uninterrupted fab operations and product deliveries,” TSMC said in a statement to Reuters. The U.S. Department of Commerce granted TSMC Nanjing an annual export licence covering certain U.S. export-controlled items without the need for individual vendor licences, the company said. Reuters
The move replaces the “validated end-user” status that had provided broad exemptions from Washington’s chip-related export restrictions to China, which expired on December 31, the Reuters report said. South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have also received similar import licences, Reuters reported. Reuters
TSMC’s Nanjing plant produces 16-nanometre chips and other “mature-node” semiconductors — older-generation manufacturing technology used widely in consumer and industrial electronics — rather than the company’s most advanced chips, Reuters reported. TSMC said in its 2024 annual report that the Nanjing site generated about 2.4% of overall revenue. Reuters
Separately, investors are digesting a Reuters report that Nvidia has approached TSMC to ramp up production of its H200 artificial intelligence chips to meet strong demand from Chinese technology firms. Chinese companies have ordered more than 2 million H200 chips for 2026, while Nvidia holds about 700,000 units in stock, sources told Reuters. Reuters
A source told Reuters that work on expanded output is expected to start in the second quarter of 2026. The H200 uses TSMC’s 4-nanometre process — a measure of how small the circuitry is — and the talks have added to concerns about tight AI-chip supplies globally. Reuters
Regulatory risk remains part of the equation. Reuters reported that Beijing has not yet greenlit shipments of H200 chips, even after the Trump administration recently allowed exports of the chip to China with a 25% fee, reversing a previous ban, according to the report. Reuters
In the broader chip group, sector funds were mixed in the last session, with the VanEck Semiconductor ETF down 0.9% and iShares Semiconductor ETF down 1.2%, based on latest available closes.
Traders are also looking ahead to TSMC’s next major catalyst: its fourth-quarter 2025 earnings conference, scheduled for January 15 at 1:00 a.m. Eastern Time, the company’s investor relations site shows. TSMC said its “quiet period” — when it limits contact with investors ahead of results — runs from January 5 to January 14. TSMC
