Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced its second-quarter 2025 results during an earnings call on July 17, posting a second-quarter consolidated revenue of NT$933.79 billion. The net income reached NT$398.27 billion and earnings per share (EPS) NT$15.36 for the quarter, a new high for the period. Calculated in US dollars, second-quarter 2025 revenue reached US$30.07 billion, up 44.4% year over year and 17.8% sequentially, outperforming the previous outlook of US$28.4 to US$29.2 billion.

Despite ongoing uncertainties in the global market, including tariffs and consumer electronics conditions, TSMC chairman C.C. Wei stated that no significant changes in client behavior have been observed so far. The third quarter of 2025 is expected to benefit from leadership in advanced process technology as well as strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC), maintaining a growth trend. The full-year 2025 US dollar revenue growth forecast was revised upward from approximately 24-26% to 30%.

South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT allocated KRW42.6 billion (approx. US$31 million) for physical AI proof-of-concept projects through a supplementary budget, representing the largest portion of the government’s 179.3 billion won AI sector funding boost.

Since taking office in January 2025, US President Donald Trump has launched a series of economic and trade policies aimed at achieving fair and reciprocal trade with foreign countries, reindustrializing the US, bringing supply chains to the US, and maintaining American leadership in AI.