Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. projected current-quarter revenue ahead of estimates, as the Apple Inc. supplier shrugs off a smartphone slump and U.S. sanctions on Huawei Technologies Co. to ride demand for cutting-edge chips.
The world’s largest contract chipmaker expects sales of $9.1 billion to $9.2 billion in the September quarter, ahead of average projections for about $8.9 billion. The Taiwanese company earlier reported a fall in June-quarter net income to NT$66.8 billion ($2.1 billion), surpassing the NT$65.7 billion estimated.
TSMC’s solid outlook may allay fears of a persistent global chip downturn as Washington and Beijing clash. Its technological edge in chipmaking may help it grab an outsized portion of demand for advanced high-performance semiconductors, particularly as countries roll out ultra-fast fifth generation wireless networks. TSMC’s business has bottomed and should begin to rebound, Chief Executive Officer C. C. Wei said.
MacDailyNews Take: Good news from and for TSMC as the long ramp up to the 5G iPhone super cycle (2020 and beyond) begins.