Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (NYSE: TSM) delivered a remarkable fourth-quarter financial performance, signaling a robust and expanding landscape for artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor demands. As the sole fabricator of Nvidia Corporation’s (NASDAQ: NVDA) graphic processing units (GPUs), TSMC showcased a 35% surge in net profits, surpassing analyst expectations with a convincing margin. This financial outcome reaffirms the sustained vigor of the AI industry, dispelling any doubts surrounding the potential slowdown or bubble in this sector.
Among the notable beneficiaries of TSMC’s strong showing are cloud service providers specializing in AI compute power solutions—specifically CoreWeave, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRWV) and Nebius Group N.V. (NASDAQ: NBIS). The exceptional quarterly results serve as a substantial endorsement of their strategic pursuit to secure extensive allocations of Nvidia’s advanced Blackwell and upcoming Rubin GPU architectures. These chips, fabricated utilizing TSMC’s cutting-edge 3-nanometer (nm) and 2-nm technology nodes, are vital to these companies’ offer of specialized high-performance compute capacity that exceeds what major hyperscalers typically avail themselves of.
CoreWeave and Nebius’s entire operational value hinges on the premise of obtaining access to the newest AI chips in significant volumes. Consequently, TSMC’s blockbuster quarter alleviates two principal concerns for these neocloud outfits:
- Supply Stability: Exceptional manufacturing yields coupled with planned capacity expansions imply that CoreWeave and Nebius can meet their immense multibillion-dollar order backlogs with greater confidence.
- Demand Assurance: TSMC's announcement of increased capital expenditure commitments for 2026, projected between $52 billion and $56 billion, reflects continued large-scale, long-term investments from technology firms in AI chip orders.
This financial and operational clarity provided by TSMC’s results also challenges the narrative of an "AI bubble." The semiconductor giant’s gross margin of 62.3% serves as compelling evidence of both strong market growth and profound profitability within the sector. Taiwan Semiconductor’s Chief Executive Officer, C.C. Wei, who emphatically stated "AI is real," based this assertion on the fact that the company’s High-Performance Computing (HPC) segment accounts for a commanding 55% of its total revenue.
For investors and stakeholders in CoreWeave and Nebius, a direct implication emerges: growth constraints for these neocloud providers are primarily linked to chip supply rather than demand. The record-breaking production capabilities at TSMC suggest assurance of steady chip accessibility necessary for these firms to address their expanding backlogs through the near future, specifically up to 2026.
CoreWeave’s stock price reflected this optimistic market sentiment, advancing sharply following the earnings release. The company’s stock value reached $97.46, marking an 8.53% increase on the trading day. Similarly, Nebius Group’s shares appreciated by 4.90%, attaining a price of $106.98, signaling the market’s positive reception to the reassurances coming from their key supplier. Taiwan Semiconductor itself saw its shares appreciate by 5.33%, reaching $344.53, while Nvidia’s stock price rose by 3.21% to $189.01, further highlighting the bullish sentiment across the AI semiconductor ecosystem.
The synergy among these companies underscores the centrality of semiconductor manufacturing to the AI sector’s expansion. TSMC’s capability to scale production while maintaining high yields not only supports present demand but also prompts confidence in the future supply chain dynamics. By boosting its capital investments significantly and indicating an upscaling toward 2nm technology node volume production, TSMC is positioning itself to accommodate the escalating needs of AI compute providers. This progression, in turn, fuels the operational strategies of CoreWeave and Nebius, which are focused on delivering specialized AI compute resources otherwise unavailable from traditional hyperscalers.
Overall, the data affirm that the primary bottleneck for neocloud providers is not generating customer interest or orders but ensuring a reliable influx of cutting-edge AI chips from manufacturing sources. TSMC’s promise of capacity expansion coupled with strong profitability yields has delivered a convincing rebuttal to skepticism about AI market strength and sustainability.