TSMC Approves Up to $1B Investment in Anthropic and OpenAI
TSMC's board approved up to $1 billion in AI investments, subscribing up to $500M of Anthropic common stock at its IPO price and up to $500M of OpenAI preferred shares. The move extends TSMC beyond advanced-node manufacturing into model-layer capital stakes, as Anthropic launches an IPO at $70-78 per share targeting over $61 billion in proceeds.
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IT之家 November 11 news — TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, has approved an investment plan of up to $1 billion (IT之家 note: approximately 6.688 billion yuan at current exchange rates), investing up to $500 million (approximately 3.344 billion yuan at current exchange rates) each in AI companies Anthropic and OpenAI. At a time when the AI investment boom is showing signs of fatigue, this move is undoubtedly a shot in the arm for the market.
TSMC said Tuesday that its board of directors has approved two investment plans: subscribing to up to $500 million (approximately 3.344 billion yuan at current exchange rates) of common stock at Anthropic's initial public offering (IPO) price, and investing up to $500 million (approximately 3.344 billion yuan at current exchange rates) to subscribe to OpenAI preferred stock.
Anthropic announced Tuesday that it plans to hold an IPO at a price of $70 to $78 per share (approximately 468.1 to 521.6 yuan at current exchange rates). Based on the midpoint of the offering price range, the company's listing is expected to raise more than $61 billion (approximately 407.953 billion yuan at current exchange rates).
The developer of the Claude chatbot also plans to raise $26 billion (approximately 173.882 billion yuan at current exchange rates) from large investors, including Google parent company Alphabet, AMD, and TSMC.
Yorkville Ives analysts noted in a report: "The list of cornerstone investors is more important than the headline figure of total fundraising, because before the stock begins public trading, the companies that supply chips to Anthropic, host its models, and distribute its products have already become shareholders of the company."
TSMC's decision to take stakes in the AI industry's most influential model developers shows that it wants to further expand its footprint in AI, no longer limited to manufacturing advanced chips and supporting AI computing infrastructure.
However, analysts also caution that as the AI industry continues to develop, the boundaries between investors, suppliers, and customers are becoming increasingly blurred, making it harder for the market to accurately judge the industry's real demand.
Pictet Wealth Management said in a report: "Some of Anthropic's investors and strategic partners also provide cloud services or infrastructure services to the company, and this relationship creates a crucial mutual dependence."
Meanwhile, TSMC's results announced Tuesday also brought positive signals to investors optimistic about the AI industry's prospects. The company's October revenue grew 60% year over year, indicating that market demand remains strong.
In addition, TSMC's board also approved a capital expenditure plan of $40.93 billion (approximately 273.73 billion yuan at current exchange rates), with funds to be used for advanced semiconductor manufacturing, advanced packaging, facility construction, and R&D investment in 2027.