Strature BriefsExposure BriefNo. 001Edition 1.0 (archive)30 Sep 2026
Exposure Brief · TSMC

TSMC's geopolitical exposure sits on one island, not in its China sales

Mainly a Taiwan continuity exposure, not a China-demand one: Taiwan-only nodes earned 33 per cent of second-quarter 2026 wafer revenue, China-based customers 6 per cent, until leading-edge volume starts elsewhere.

Archive edition. Researched 23 July 2026; harmonised to the current house standard 30 September 2026. Evidence to 30 September 2026; facts refreshed 30 September 2026.

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Since publication

What has changed since the research, dated.

Registered forecasts are never changed: they stay as issued and are scored as registered. Facts found after the research date are listed here with their date and source.

No forecast is registered with this edition.

Facts since the research date

  1. 10 Aug 2026

    TSMC reported July 2026 revenue of about NT$467.58bn, up 44.7% from July 2025.

    TSMC press release, 10 Aug 2026 (retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  2. 11 Aug 2026

    TSMC's board approved capital appropriations of about US$29.44bn, mainly for advanced-technology capacity, advanced packaging, mature and specialty capacity, and fab construction.

    TSMC board resolutions, 11 Aug 2026 (retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  3. 11 Aug 2026

    Sony Semiconductor Solutions and TSMC signed a definitive agreement for an image-sensor joint venture in Koshi City, Kumamoto; TSMC plans cash contributions of about ¥282bn, Sony is to be the sole controlling shareholder, and volume production is expected in 2029, subject to regulatory approvals.

    TSMC press release, 11 Aug 2026 (retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  4. 10 Sep 2026

    TSMC reported August 2026 revenue of about NT$514.81bn, up 53.3% from August 2025; revenue for January to August 2026 was NT$3,386.87bn, up 39.3%.

    TSMC press release, 10 Sep 2026 (retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  5. 30 Sep 2026

    TSMC's third-quarter 2026 results were not yet published; its results conference is scheduled for 15 Oct 2026, with a quiet period from 5 to 14 Oct. The revenue tables in this edition therefore remain those of 2Q26.

    TSMC investor relations, 3Q26 results page (retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

  6. 30 Sep 2026

    Corrections to the source edition found in the refresh: Arizona's first facility entered high-volume production at the end of 2024, not in 2025; Taiwan's listing of Huawei and SMIC dates from June 2025, not June 2026; EMEA was 3% of 2025 revenue, not 4%; the US footprint also includes Fab 11 in Washington State.

    TSMC Form 20-F, 16 Apr 2026; TechPowerUp, 16 Jun 2025 (retrieved 30 Sep 2026)

No new forecast is issued with these facts; a new view would be a new, separately dated forecast.

Strature GPS · Questions this brief answers

11 questions answered, each on the map.

Each answer is quoted verbatim from the brief, with the section that answers it and the countries it touches. Answers with a register ID are our estimates, scored when they resolve; the others are the brief’s reading of the evidence, not forecasts.

Answered in: Cover and at a glance

GeopoliticalGeotechnology30 Sep 2026

Where does TSMC's geopolitical exposure sit: in its China sales or on one island?

“Mainly a Taiwan continuity exposure, not a China-demand one: Taiwan-only nodes earned 33 per cent of second-quarter 2026 wafer revenue, China-based customers 6 per cent, until leading-edge volume starts elsewhere.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Taiwan, Province of China Affected China

Countries in this questionTaiwan, Province of ChinaChina

Answered in: 05. China-based customers are a small and falling share of revenue

GeoeconomicGeopolitical30 Sep 2026

Is TSMC's geopolitical exposure mainly its China sales?

“No. China-based customers were 6% of 2Q26 revenue, down from 12% in 2023.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Taiwan, Province of China Affected China

Countries in this questionTaiwan, Province of ChinaChina
GeotechnologyGeopolitical30 Sep 2026

What does the export-control record show for TSMC's China operations?

“TSMC's Nanjing fab (16nm) received US-origin items under a Validated End-User authorization until December 2025. TSMC reports that the U.S. Department of Commerce then granted TSMC Nanjing an annual export licence”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Taiwan, Province of China Affected United States of America, China

Answered in: 02. Every fab producing 3nm or 2nm in volume is in Taiwan

Answered in: 03. Nodes of 7nm and below earned 77% of wafer revenue in 2Q26

GeotechnologyGeoeconomic30 Sep 2026

How much revenue rides on those nodes?

“3nm and 2nm earned 33% of 2Q26 wafer revenue; 7nm and below, 77%.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Taiwan, Province of China

Answered in: 04. Two unnamed customers took 36% of 2025 net revenue

Geoeconomic30 Sep 2026

How concentrated are TSMC's customers?

“The two largest took 36% of 2025 net revenue; the ten largest, 78%.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Taiwan, Province of China

Answered in: 06. The overseas build-out costs TSMC 2 to 4 points of gross margin, on its own guidance

Answered in: 12. Eight signposts, each read from a public source

GeopoliticalGeotechnology30 Sep 2026

What would change this reading?

“3nm or 2nm volume production reported outside Taiwan, or China-based revenue back above a tenth.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Taiwan, Province of China Affected China

Countries in this questionTaiwan, Province of ChinaChina

Answered in: 08. The pathways differ mainly in what they do to the Taiwan concentration

Answered in: 09. A quarantine or blockade of Taiwan is treated as a separate tail

Geopolitical30 Sep 2026

What would a quarantine or blockade of Taiwan expose?

“In that tail the exposed quantity is the leading-edge franchise, not a revenue slice: the nodes made only in Taiwan earned 33% of 2Q26 wafer revenue, and 7nm and below 77%.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Taiwan, Province of China

Answered in: 10. The next dated TSMC disclosure falls on 15 October 2026

Geoeconomic30 Sep 2026

When is the next dated TSMC disclosure?

“TSMC's third-quarter 2026 results were not yet published; its results conference is scheduled for 15 Oct 2026, with a quiet period from 5 to 14 Oct.”

The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.

Primary Taiwan, Province of China

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