TSMC Plans $500M Venture Fund for Chip Startups

TSMC moving into venture capital signals that the largest contract chipmaker sees strategic value in shaping the early-stage semiconductor ecosystem, not just fabricating for it. A dedicated fund gives it visibility into startups it might otherwise only encounter as customers or competitors, which matters for a company whose roadmap depends on upstream innovation. The open question is whether this becomes a narrow sourcing tool for TSMC's own supply chain or a broader bet on chip design and adjacent technologies.