TSMC approves up to $1 billion in Anthropic and OpenAI share investments

TSMC has cleared the way to become a shareholder in both Anthropic and OpenAI, approving up to $1 billion combined for the two investments. Its board authorized the purchases on November 10, 2026, in a decision that is unusual for the Taiwanese chipmaker. The announcement confirms investment approvals, not completed share purchases.

Nikkei Asia describes TSMC as having rarely invested in its clients, suppliers or other companies in its business ecosystem. The approvals stand out against that history: the chipmaker is authorizing direct equity holdings in two AI developers, rather than limiting its involvement to its semiconductor business.

Equal limits, different purchase terms

01Up to US$500 million

Anthropic

Common shares in Anthropic, PBC, purchased at its per-share initial public offering price.

02Up to US$500 million

OpenAI

Preferred stock in OpenAI Group PBC, with no IPO-price condition specified in the authorization.

For Anthropic, the pricing provision ties TSMC’s purchase price to the price per share in the company’s first public offering, or IPO. It supplies a way to set the price, rather than fixing a dollar amount per share in the board resolution. OpenAI’s authorization does not make the same explicit link to a public offering.

The dollar limits also do not specify how many shares TSMC would receive. For Anthropic, that number would depend on the IPO price and the amount ultimately invested. Equal spending limits therefore should not be read as equal share counts or identical ownership stakes in the two companies.

Nikkei’s Cheng Ting-Fang and Katherine Creel reported on November 10 that Anthropic and OpenAI were moving closer to going public. TSMC’s Anthropic approval gives that public-market backdrop a specific role in the investment terms: the offering price would also serve as the chipmaker’s purchase price.