TSMC looks like it has put in a blowoff top, rising even on an announcement that it cannot afford new ASML equipment. x.comÂ
Roger
Business Owner, Former Assistant Research Professor
TSMC may lose pricing power as performance gains shift from shrinking transistors to stacking, interconnects and optics, while logic folding could make older processes competitive. Despite strong leading-edge demand, investors may overestimate the profit share its node leadership can retain. Its cautious expansion and past reluctance toward advanced packaging suggest a risk-averse culture that protects returns but could leave it late to disruptive technologies and key customers. x.comÂ
ASML's growth path loses momentum on news that TSMC can make some chips without ASML's machines. x.comÂ
TSMC looks underpriced for the AI growth ahead, along with Google and Nvidia, and a crash is not inevitable. The risk is the supply chain: AI stocks are priced for uninterrupted exponential scaling that depends on a few choke points, including ASML's EUV monopoly, Zeiss optics and TSMC itself, the dominant fab, located in geopolitically exposed Taiwan. Any hit to that supply chain would make prices collapse. x.com x.comÂ
TSMC's shifting cost structure is pressuring gross margin despite revenue and EPS beats. TSMC reported Q3 gross margin of 66.4%, down from 67.7% in Q2, and another decline is guided next quarter; Arizona is expected to drag gross margin by 2-4%. TSMC is checking AI data-center progress as it plans wafer capacity, while reiterating long-term AI demand strength. Price hikes may be next, given management's commitment to protect shareholder interests. x.com x.comÂ
Lam Research's record results suggest the equipment cycle is not ending despite its stock selloff. Revenue reached $8.22B, up 54% year over year and over 20% sequentially, while EPS rose 75%; ASML and TSMC also report customers needing more tools. Overweight with a $355 target and 35% upside, but the selloff is a gift only if Lam guides December higher. x.com x.comÂ
TSMC's strong AI demand is straining supply, while solid company fundamentals and attractive semiconductor valuations make an abrupt stop to its advance unlikely. TSMC's Wendell Huang expects 2026-28 capex to be significantly higher than in the previous three years to support customer growth; he says most capex is tied to long-term demand. x.comÂ
TSMC's AI growth still faces margin pressure from overseas fab expansion and a faster A14 ramp for mobile customers facing 2nm SoC challenges. 3Q gross margin of 66.4% missed expectations, and the 4Q guide is softer at 65-67%; margins are expected to remain largely flat through 2027-28 despite projected 39% revenue growth in 2027. Hold; target nudged to NT$2,999 at 20x 2027 earnings. x.com x.com x.comÂ
TSMC's latest results point to AI chip demand still running ahead of supply, supporting the semiconductor and equipment trade. Cantor says TSMC raised its 2026 revenue outlook again, guided December-quarter sales above consensus and held 65-67% gross-margin guidance through the N2 ramp; its bullish sector read names Nvidia, Broadcom, AMD, ASML, Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA. Jensen Huang says AI labs need not reach trillions in revenue to justify the buildout. x.com x.comÂ
TSMC's earnings set the stage for a strong reporting season. Hold the line on TSMC despite its shares being caught in SOXX's algorithmic sell-off; StockMKTNewz reported that TSMC beat quarterly revenue and EPS estimates. x.comÂ
ASML's reported inability to make enough machines for the next two years is a buy signal for the whole AI stack. Its stock still sold off despite that shortage. x.comÂ