Taipei:Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) reported record-breaking consolidated sales for October, marking a significant increase of nearly 60% compared to the same period last year. Analysts have linked this remarkable growth to the strong global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

According to Focus Taiwan, TSMC, the world's leading contract chipmaker, achieved consolidated sales of NT$586.89 billion (US$17.81 billion) in October. This figure represents a 59.7% rise from the previous year and a 14.7% increase from September, surpassing the company's previous monthly sales record of NT$514.81 billion set in August.

Analysts noted that the surge in TSMC's revenue was driven by increased shipments of chips manufactured using the company's advanced 2-nanometer (2nm) process, which is currently the most sophisticated chipmaking technology available from TSMC.

Earlier, during an investor conference in mid-October, TSMC had projected fourth-quarter consolidated sales to be between US$52.3 billion and US$54.3 billion, which would represent a 58% year-on-year increase and a 14% rise from the previous quarter. This forecast translates to quarterly sales of approximately NT$1.66 trillion to NT$1.73 trillion, based on an exchange rate of NT$31.8 to the U.S. dollar.

For November and December, analysts estimated that TSMC's monthly consolidated sales would range between NT$538.1 billion and NT$569.9 billion. In the first 10 months of 2026, TSMC's consolidated sales grew by 43.3% from the previous year, reaching NT$4.49 trillion.

Additionally, TSMC revised its full-year sales growth forecast in mid-October, increasing it to about 44% in U.S. dollar terms, up from the July projection of slightly more than 40% growth. The company attributed this upward revision to the robust demand for its advanced manufacturing processes.