TSMC Q3 profit blows past market forecast to a record on AI spending boom

TAIPEI (Reuters) -TSMC, the world's main producer of advanced AI chips, posted a 39.1% jump in third-quarter profit to record levels that handily beat market forecasts on Thursday, though U.S. tariffs could weigh on its outlook. Benefiting from surging demand for advanced chips used in artificial intelligence applications, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co said net profit for July-September climbed to T$452.3 billion ($14.76 billion), its sixth straight quarter of double-digit growth. That was well ahead of a T$417.7 billion LSEG SmartEstimate drawn from 20 analysts. SmartEstimates are weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate. Trump's trade policies and threats to put tariffs on semiconductors have created much uncertainty for the global chip industry