Taipei: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) on Monday reported record sales for July, up more than 44 percent from a year earlier, with analysts attributing the growth to strong global demand for the chipmaker's advanced chipmaking processes amid the AI boom.

According to Focus Taiwan, the world's largest contract chipmaker said consolidated sales reached NT$467.58 billion (US$14.51 billion), surpassing the previous record of NT$442.68 billion set in June. July sales rose 44.7 percent from a year earlier and 5.6 percent from June.

TSMC reported consolidated sales for the first seven months of this year totaling NT$2.87 trillion, up 37 percent from the same period a year earlier. Analysts attributed the increase to higher shipments of chips produced using TSMC's advanced manufacturing processes, particularly its 2-nanometer technology, which has entered commercial production and carries a higher price tag.

At an investor conference in mid-July, TSMC forecast third-quarter revenue to be between US$44.6 billion and US$45.8 billion. Based on an exchange rate of NT$32 to the U.S. dollar used in the forecast, the prediction translates to consolidated sales of between NT$1.43 trillion and NT$1.47 trillion.

If the forecast is achieved, analysts suggested TSMC's average monthly consolidated sales for August and September could range between NT$479.81 billion and NT$499.01 billion, setting new monthly records.

TSMC has expressed confidence in the long-term growth of AI. At the July investor conference, the company projected that 2026 sales would grow by slightly more than 40 percent in U.S. dollar terms, marking the second upward revision to its sales guidance this year.

In mid-April, TSMC raised its 2026 revenue growth forecast in U.S. dollar terms to more than 30 percent, up from its January projection of growth closer to 30 percent. The company also increased its 2026 capital expenditure forecast to between US$60.0 billion and US$64.0 billion, from its previous forecast of between US$52.0 billion and US$56.0 billion announced in mid-April, citing strong global demand for 5G, AI applications, and high-performance computing devices.