TSMC says chipmaking tool demand nearly doubled this year

TSMC's need for chipmaking equipment has risen to about 1.9 times what it had projected in December 2025, deputy co-COO Cliff Hou said at a Semicon Taiwan fireside chat reported by Bloomberg on September 2, 2026, as the company races to keep pace with AI chip demand. TSMC is simultaneously constructing nearly 20 wafer fabrication plants, thirteen in Taiwan and five to six spread overseas, a pace it said is four to five times its normal construction rate, while flagging a shortage of experienced construction workers in Taiwan as a growing constraint on the buildout.