Investing.com-- TSMC’s (NYSE:TSM) April sales surged to a record high, the company said on Friday, as the chipmaker’s customers brought forward their orders in fear of increased costs from steep U.S. trade tariffs.
TSMC’s April sales surged 48.1% year-on-year to T$349.57 billion ($10.76 billion), its highest monthly showing ever. The previous monthly high in sales was October 2024’s T$314.24 billion.
The April figures brought TSMC’s year-to-date revenue to T$1.19 trillion, up 43.5% from a year earlier.
The world’s largest contract chipmaker benefited from a sharp increase in orders, especially as its customers brought forward orders scheduled for later this year in anticipation of higher costs from increased U.S. trade tariffs.
U.S. President Donald Trump had in early-April unveiled plans to impose a 32% tariff on Taiwanese imports, although he postponed the tariffs by three months to early-July. Taiwanese officials have been in trade discussions with the U.S. since mid-to-late April.
In addition to the 32% duty, TSMC also faces a 10% universal tariff on all exports to the U.S., as well as potential tariffs on semiconductors, which Trump has threatened to impose in the coming months.
The world’s largest contract chipmaker has benefited greatly from increased artificial intelligence-fueled demand over the past two years, given that it is a key component of the global chip supply chain. The company is also a key supplier to AI major Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA).
While TSMC has built out production capacity in the U.S., it still conducts a bulk of its production outside the country. But TSMC has pledged a total $165 billion in U.S. investment to build out more production capacity in the country.
The company currently has one operational foundry in Arizona, and is in the process of expanding the facility.