TSMC Third Quarter Sales Will Be Stronger than Expected

TSMC may have seen its fair share of hurdles, but it looks like, at least right now, it isn't doing so badly for itself, provided a recent rumor about its finances going upward isn't inaccurate or plain out false.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has not exactly been at the center of good tidings recently, and this is not just because it has stayed relatively silent.

Not long ago, it was reported that the company had increased the wafer prices for the chips built on the 28nm manufacturing process.

For those that don't know, 28nm is the node that both NVIDIA and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) have chosen for their respective next-generation graphics solutions.

In other words, one can expect both NVIDIA and AMD graphics to cost a little more than they otherwise would, whenever they show up.

Meanwhile, the semiconductor maker, for its part, is actually not doing too badly, from a financial standpoint.

According to the newest report that Digitimes made on the subject, third-quarter revenues (Q3, 2011) are, in fact, very likely to exceed the guidance given on July 28, 2011.

"TSMC's third-quarter revenues are likely to exceed the guidance given on July 28, 2011," said company CFO Lora Ho, in a statement. "In August, we have completed some rush orders for customers."

In August, consolidated revenues grew by 6.2% sequentially and, compared to the same period of last year, by 0.7%.

Unfortunately, for TSMC at least, this trend won't continue during the fourth quarter.

"However, given the increased uncertainty in the global economy, TSMC does not expect that these short-term rush orders will continue into the fourth quarter," CFO Lora Ho continued.

At the least, since this basically shows that TSMC isn't having any problems with 28nm (unlike with 40nm), so, even though prices may or may not rise, GPU launch delays, at least, won't arise, unless AMD or NVIDIA stumble upon so different reason for something of the sort.