TSMC CFO expects 2025 capex ‘very likely’ to outpace 2024

Taiwan Manufacturing Company (NYSE:TSM) expects its capital expenditures to increase in 2025 after a hefty 2024 due to artificial intelligence-related demand.

“As the strong, structural AI-related demand continues, we continue to invest to support our customers’ growth,” said TSMC Chief Financial Officer Wendell Huang, during the company’s third quarter 2024 earnings call on Thursday. “We now expect our 2024 capex to be slightly higher than $30B U.S. dollars. Between 70% and 80% of the capital budget will be allocated for advanced process technologies.”

While Huang could not yet provide a capex number for 2025, he indicated it is increasing. He said they can provide more insight on this in January.

“For TSMC, a higher level of capital expenditures is always going to be related with higher growth opportunities in the coming years,” Huang said. “And as long as our growth outlook remains strong, we will continue to invest. So it is very likely that our capex next year will be higher than this year.”

Higher capex in 2025 could benefit semiconductor equipment makers, such as Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX), ASML Holding (NASDAQ:ASML), KLA (NASDAQ:KLAC) and Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT).

Applied Materials edged up about 2% during Thursday morning trading while Lam Research ticked up 0.5%. ASML and KLA were relatively flat.

ASML has dropped 20% this week, following its third quarter results. ASML noted a likely decline in the sale of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China due to new export regulations in the Netherlands.

TSM was surging 13% following its latest financial results, released pre-market on Thursday.