Apple Chipmaker TSMC Approves Up to $1 Billion in OpenAI and Anthropic Investments

Apple chip manufacturer TSMC has approved investments totaling up to $1 billion in OpenAI and Anthropic, authorizing share purchases of as much as $500 million in each AI company.

The two investments have different terms. Under the board resolutions announced November 10, TSMC would acquire Anthropic common shares at the company's initial public offering price, while the OpenAI investment would buy preferred stock. No IPO timetable or closing dates were provided.

Separately, the board approved up to $500 million to establish an investment company focused on strategic investments in the semiconductor industry and its related ecosystem. That authorization is in addition to the amounts approved for OpenAI and Anthropic.

TSMC manufactures Apple's A-series and M-series processors, while AI chip orders have become an increasingly important part of its business. A January report projected that Nvidia would overtake Apple as TSMC's largest customer in 2026, reflecting demand for AI accelerators.

The same board meeting also authorized approximately $40.93 billion in capital appropriations. Those funds cover advanced chipmaking and packaging capacity, mature and specialty processes, fab construction, and other spending including 2027 research and development capital investments. This is a separate authorization from the equity investments.