Taipei:Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) has announced plans to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) developers Anthropic and OpenAI, while also raising its quarterly cash dividend to NT$9 (US$0.27) per share. The decision was made during a board meeting on Tuesday.

According to Focus Taiwan, TSMC's board approved a plan to invest up to US$500 million in Anthropic common shares at the startup's initial public offering price. Anthropic is set to launch its IPO later this month, with each share priced between US$70 and US$78, potentially raising up to US$64.4 billion. Additionally, TSMC plans to acquire preferred shares in OpenAI, also up to a value of US$500 million.

TSMC's board has also greenlighted the establishment of an investment company with a capital of up to US$500 million, aimed at strategic investments in semiconductor companies and related businesses. Furthermore, the board approved a cash dividend increase to NT$9 per share for the third quarter, up from NT$7 in the previous quarter.

The company's recent financial performance has been robust, with a record net profit of NT$763.06 billion reported for the July-September quarter, marking a 68.7 percent increase from the previous year. Earnings per share rose to NT$29.43 from NT$17.44 a year earlier. TSMC has set March 11, 2027, as the ex-dividend date, with payments scheduled for April 8, 2027.

In addition, TSMC's board has approved a capital budget of approximately US$40.93 billion for expansion, including advanced manufacturing capacity, new fabrication plants, and research and development. This budget aligns with TSMC's forecast of capital expenditure between US$60 billion and US$64 billion by 2026, reflecting anticipated strong demand for AI applications and other advancements.