By Marcin Frąckiewicz
Publication Date: 2026-01-01 22:39:00
NEW YORK, January 1, 2026, 17:23 ET
- The U.S. granted TSMC an annual export licence for U.S. chipmaking tool shipments to its Nanjing plant, replacing expired “validated end-user” waivers.
- Sources said Nvidia has asked TSMC to ramp production of H200 AI chips for China orders in 2026, with work expected to start in Q2.
- Analysts’ targets for TSM’s U.S.-listed ADRs sit above the last close as investors watch export rules, advanced packaging and next-generation nodes.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co said the U.S. Department of Commerce granted its Nanjing unit an annual export licence that allows U.S. export-controlled items to be supplied without the need for individual vendor licences. The approval replaces a waiver known as validated end-user status — which let designated plants receive some controlled items with fewer approvals — that expired on Dec. 31, and Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have received similar licences. TSMC said the Nanjing fab makes 16-nanometre and other mature-node chips and generated about 2.4% of the company’s 2024 revenue. Reuters
The policy shift lands as investors build a 2026 outlook for TSMC stock, balancing the AI boom against tighter U.S.-China technology rules. Even small disruptions to tools and servicing can ripple through chip output, and the market has treated compliance risk as a valuation variable.
On the demand side, sources said Chinese technology companies have ordered more than 2 million of Nvidia’s H200…
