Anthropic's prospectus names TSMC, warning that advanced chip production capacity is concentrated in Taiwan

The AI laboratory Anthropic, which developed Claude, named TSMC in its IPO prospectus, warning that the world's most advanced chip manufacturing capacity is highly concentrated in Taiwan. The prospectus states that if TSMC's operations are disrupted, it could severely impact the supply of AI chips and affect Anthropic's business, financial condition, and operational results.

According to MoneyDJ citing the prospectus, the global AI industry heavily relies on TSMC's advanced processes. Suppliers such as NVIDIA and AMD, as well as companies that design their own chips like Amazon and Google, all need TSMC to turn their designs into physical chips. The listed risks include earthquakes, typhoons, interruptions in power and water supply, as well as cross-strait geopolitical tensions, military conflicts, blockades, tariffs, and trade restrictions.

The prospectus also states that if a significant event occurs in Taiwan, the supply of advanced chips could be severely hindered; due to the time-consuming nature of building and certifying alternative foundries, the impact could last for several years. The expansion of advanced processes outside Taiwan is still in its early stages, making it difficult to effectively reduce concentration risks in the short term. TSMC has been unable to fully meet market demand due to strong demand, resulting in Anthropic not being able to obtain a sufficient supply of chips in a timely manner.