Asianfin--Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) reported a stronger-than-expected 39% increase in quarterly revenue, easing concerns about a slowdown in AI hardware investment. As a key supplier to Nvidia Corp. and Apple Inc., the company recorded NT$759.7 billion ($23.6 billion) in sales for the September quarter, surpassing the average forecast of NT$748 billion. Taiwan's largest firm will unveil its complete financial results next Thursday. This robust performance is likely to bolster investor confidence in sustained high AI expenditure as businesses and governments vie for leadership in this burgeoning technology sector. However, some analysts caution that companies like Meta Platforms Inc. and Alphabet Inc.'s Google may struggle to maintain their current levels of infrastructure investment unless they develop compelling and profitable AI applications.