TSMC exudes optimism, plans capex hike in 2025

In a sign that it’s not all doom and gloom in the semiconductor arena, TSMC said it will increase capital expenditure next year, although it didn’t provide a concrete figure. The foundry’s capex is expected to come in slightly above 30 billion dollars this year, which is about the same as last year, but down from a historical high of 36.3 billion dollars in 2022. Currently, it’s primarily AI driving TSMC’s sales, but CEO CC Wei stressed that the broader semiconductor market isn’t doing all that badly. In terms of overall chip demand, “everything’s stabilized and starting to improve,” he said.