Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) announced that its board has authorized purchases totaling up to $1 billion in two competing artificial‑intelligence firms. The plan includes buying up to $500 million of Anthropic common shares at the price set for its upcoming IPO and up to $500 million of OpenAI preferred stock, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on November 10. The dual investment positions the world’s largest contract chipmaker as a direct shareholder in both companies as they raise fresh capital and prepare for future public listings.

Anthropic IPO Investment

Anthropic filed its IPO paperwork on October 26 and began roadshow meetings on November 9. The company aims to raise as much as $100 billion at a valuation near $2 trillion, though at least one shareholder has pushed for a lower, roughly $1 trillion, target. Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs are leading the offering, and TSMC has agreed to purchase shares at whatever price the underwriters set, up to the $500 million ceiling. Anthropic reported third‑quarter revenue of $16.8 billion, a 45 % increase from the prior quarter, indicating a slowdown from earlier triple‑digit growth but still strong momentum.

OpenAI Preferred Stock Purchase

OpenAI closed a financing round of about $11 billion on November 6, valuing the company at roughly $1.25 trillion. The round could expand to $20 billion in the coming weeks. Earlier, the startup had targeted a $30 billion raise at a $1.4 trillion valuation, but investor concerns over AI‑infrastructure spending and potential data‑center regulations after the U.S. midterms prompted a lower figure, according to Cryptopolitan. OpenAI plans to go public in 2027, a timeline endorsed by President Greg Brockman. The company has already sent chip designs to TSMC for fabrication starting February 2025, part of a strategy to reduce reliance on Nvidia’s GPUs.

TSMC’s Broader AI‑Focused Strategy

The chipmaker’s board also approved a $40.9 billion capital budget for 2027 and a $500 million allocation for an investment vehicle dedicated to the chip supply chain. TSMC reported third‑quarter revenue of $46.72 billion, a 50.9 % year‑over‑year rise, and October sales of $18.35 billion, up 59.7 % from October 2025, reflecting surging demand for AI‑optimized silicon. Net profit for the quarter reached $23.86 billion, or $0.92 per share, and the board set a quarterly cash dividend of $0.28 per share. Analysts at Crypto Briefing linked the revenue jump to heightened AI chip orders, underscoring TSMC’s central role in the AI hardware ecosystem.