Why There’s An ‘Extremely Fierce’ Battle For TSMC's Limited Chip Manufacturing Capacity

Unstoppable demand for AI is leading to a capacity crunch on factory lines at the world's leading chip manufacturer, Taiwan Semiconductor. And it could put a chokehold on AI's ability to scale. Analysts tell CNBC that Nvidia, Apple, Broadcom, AMD and others are locked in an “extremely fierce” competition to get their GPUs, CPUs and custom AI chips made at TSMC. Capacity can’t come online fast enough, despite TSMC’s rush to build new fabs in Taiwan, Japan and Arizona, where has expanded investment to $265 billion. The strain has made one man at TSMC “the most popular person on the planet,” as chip start-ups and big name CEOs visit Taiwan to ask him for wafer allocation. It’s also created a rich opportunity for Intel, as customers look to the long-struggling foundry arm of the U.S. chip manufacturer for a second source. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:06 ‘Most popular person on the planet’ 6:54 Making room for smaller players 9:10 Can new U.S. fabs ease the crunch? Producer and Reporter: Katie Tarasov Edited by: Matt Soto, Andrew Evers Camera: Eddie Temborski, Robert Lampe, Evan Reinhardt Senior Director of Video: Jeniece Pettitt Animation: Jason Reginato, Emily Park Additional Footage: Cerebras, D-Matrix, Getty Images, Intel, Nvidia, OpenAI, SpaceX, TSMC » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision About CNBC: From 'Wall Street' to 'Main Street' to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more. Want to get ahead at work? Then you need to learn how to make effective small talk. In CNBC’s new online course, How To Talk To People At Work, expert instructors teach you how to use everyday conversation to gain visibility, build meaningful relationships and advance your career. Sign up now: https://cnb.cx/4sGlSkh Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: https://www.cnbc.com/ Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: https://cnb.cx/LinkedInCNBC Follow CNBC News on Instagram: https://cnb.cx/InstagramCNBC Follow CNBC News on Facebook: https://cnb.cx/LikeCNBC Follow CNBC on Threads: https://cnb.cx/threads Follow CNBC News on X: https://cnb.cx/FollowCNBC Follow CNBC on WhatsApp: https://cnb.cx/WhatsAppCNBC #CNBC Why There’s An ‘Extremely Fierce’ Battle For TSMC's Limited Chip Manufacturing Capacity