由温怡莉和本·布兰查德报道 台北，10月12日 - 作为全球最大的先进人工智能芯片制造商，台积电（TSMC）有望连续第六个季度报告创纪录的盈利，这得益于科技行业基础设施支出的蓬勃增长。
By Wen-Yee Lee and Ben Blanchard TAIPEI, Oct 12 - TSMC, the world's largest manufacturer of advanced AI chips, will likely report a sixth consecutive quarter of record earnings, driven by booming infrastructure spending in the tech sector.
分析师表示，台积电（台湾半导体制造公司）的人工智能芯片制造产能以及其先进的芯片封装技术CoWoS的需求仍然强劲。
Analysts say demand for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co's (TSMC) AI chipmaking capacity, as well as its advanced chip packaging technology, CoWoS, remains strong.
这使得亚洲市值最高的公司——英伟达和苹果的关键供应商——跃升至新高度。其市值约为2.1万亿美元，几乎是韩国竞争对手三星电子的两倍。
That has catapulted Asia's most valuable company, a key supplier to Nvidia and Apple, to new heights. Its market capitalisation is almost double that of South Korean rival Samsung Electronics at around $2.1 trillion.
根据LSEG SmartEstimate（汇总了16位分析师的预测），该机构对预测更准确的分析师给予更高权重，台积电预计将在周四报告第三季度净利润同比增长65%，达到7463亿新台币（234亿美元）。
On Thursday, TSMC is expected to report a 65% surge in third-quarter net profit to T$746.3 billion ($23.4 billion), according to an LSEG SmartEstimate compiled from 16 analysts. SmartEstimates place greater weight on forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate.
任何超过7065.6亿新台币的业绩都将创下公司季度净利润历史新高，同时也是其连续第十一个季度实现利润增长。
An earnings call at which it will provide fourth-quarter and updated full-year guidance is scheduled for 0600 GMT. Any result above T$706.56 billion would mark the company's highest-ever quarterly net income, as well as its 11th consecutive quarter of profit growth.
上周四，台积电公布第三季度营收同比增长50%，超出市场预期，并创下历史新高。
Last Thursday, it posted a 50% year-on-year rise in third-quarter revenue, beating market forecasts and hitting a new record high.
在10月6日的报告中，摩根士丹利分析师陈嘉伦表示，他预计台积电将把全年营收增长预期上调至40%低至中间区间，此前的指引是超过40%，这一调整主要受其3纳米芯片需求强劲的推动。
In an October 6 report, Morgan Stanley analyst Charlie Chan said he expected TSMC to raise its full-year revenue growth forecast to the low-to-mid 40% range from its current guidance of more than 40%, driven by strong demand for its 3-nanometre chips.
德州扩张前景 台积电正在美国亚利桑那州投资2650亿美元建设芯片厂，其中包括7月份新增的1000亿美元投资。
TEXAS EXPANSION PROSPECTS TSMC is investing $265 billion to build chip factories in the US state of Arizona, including an additional $100 billion that was unveiled in July.
9月，路透社报道称台积电正在评估在德克萨斯州的潜在投资。特斯拉首席执行官埃隆·马斯克也在上周表示，他的公司将建设并运营Terafab人工智能芯片园区，台积电有可能成为其一部分的分租方。分析师预计台积电将就其在德克萨斯州的潜在扩张计划作出说明。
In September, Reuters reported that TSMC was evaluating a potential investment in Texas. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also said last week that his companies would build and operate the Terafab AI chip complex, with TSMC potentially subleasing a part of it. Analysts expect TSMC to address questions about its potential expansion plans in Texas.
陈在报告中表示，鉴于客户需求增长以及台积电亚利桑那州工厂在五年内空间有限，德克萨斯州的扩张可能变得必要。
In his report, Chan said an expansion in Texas could become necessary given growing customer demand and limited space at TSMC's Arizona site in five years' time.
然而，晨星高级股权分析师费利克斯·李认为，台积电在德克萨斯州扩张的紧迫性有限，因为其在亚利桑那州的一些规划中的晶圆厂尚未建成。"德克萨斯州是2030年代或2040年代扩张宏伟计划的良好选择，因为其拥有悠久的半导体生态系统和人才库，"李表示。"它可能是一根用于预防潜在美国贸易及其他政策的悬挂胡萝卜。"在7月的财报电话会议上，公司将今年的资本支出预测从之前的高端预测520亿至560亿美元上调至600亿至640亿美元。
Phelix Lee, senior equity analyst at Morningstar, however, saw limited urgency for TSMC to expand into Texas, given that some of its planned fabs in Arizona have yet to be built. "Texas is a good location for a 2030s or 2040s expansion grand plan, given its long history of semiconductor ecosystem and talent pool," Lee said. "It may be a dangling carrot to preempt potential US trade and other policies." On its July earnings call, the company raised its capex forecast for this year to between $60 billion and $64 billion from a previous prediction at the high end of $52 billion to $56 billion.
台积电在台北上市的股票今年至今已上涨63%，基本符合更广泛市场69%的涨幅。
TSMC's Taipei-listed shares have gained 63% so far this year, broadly in line with a 69% rise for the broader market.