Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co posted third-quarter revenue of about T$1.49 trillion, exceeding the T$1.46 trillion consensus estimate from analysts surveyed by Bloomberg, according to calculations based on company figures released on Thursday.

The world's largest contract chipmaker continues to benefit from surging demand for artificial intelligence chips, its main growth engine. September revenue jumped 55% from a year earlier to T$511.86 billion ($16.03 billion), TSMC said. The figure was down 0.6% from August.

What do the numbers show?

The quarterly headline figures break down as follows:

• Q3 revenue: about T$1.49 trillion, above the T$1.46 trillion analyst estimate
• September revenue: T$511.86 billion ($16.03 billion), up 55% year on year
• Month-over-month change: down 0.6% from August
• Nine-month revenue: T$3.90 trillion, up 41.1% year on year

TSMC disclosed the monthly figures on Thursday. The results underscore continued strength in demand for advanced chips used in AI accelerators and data centers.

Who benefits from the demand?

The demand for leading-edge silicon feeds through to TSMC's customer base, which includes:

• Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA)
• Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ:AMD)
• Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)

These customers rely on TSMC's most advanced process nodes for AI accelerators, data center processors and smartphone silicon.

How did the market react?

Despite the revenue beat, Taipei-listed shares fell nearly 1% to T$2,555.0 by 05:45 GMT. The stock trades under ticker TW:2330 on the Taipei exchange.

The share decline came on the same day the broader market pulled back. Wall Street had posted its first red session of October a day after a record close, and other chip-sector results drew a mixed reception: Samsung's record Q3 profit missed lofty expectations, sending its shares lower.

What is TSMC doing with the AI windfall?

TSMC dominates production of the most advanced chips and has been expanding capacity to meet surging AI-related demand. The company is also investing heavily overseas, including in the United States, as governments move to strengthen domestic semiconductor supply chains.

Revenue for the first nine months of 2026 rose 41.1% year on year to T$3.90 trillion, the company said. That pace, if sustained, would keep TSMC on track for another year of strong growth driven by AI accelerator and data center demand.