The outfit is the kingpin of technologies like CoWoS, with a dominant grip on high-end packaging that makes it the go-to for AI chipmakers. But the surge in interest means even TSMC can’t keep up anymore.

According to its vice GM of advanced packaging, speaking via TED, the firm has had to throw its roadmap in the bin and accelerate everything to match the pace set by AI chip designers.

This means everything happening a full year earlier than expected. TSMC says the old playbook of rolling out packaging lines in a nice calm sequence is now about as useful as a chocolate heatsink. The AI crowd, particularly Nvidia, is operating on a manic six to twelve-month release cycle, and the packaging world has been forced to follow.

In response, the Taiwanese giant is throwing money at the problem by ordering kit ahead of schedule and dragging local suppliers into something called the “3DIC Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Alliance.” This group includes TSMC, ASE, and a handful of other firms all waving signs and promising to stay ahead of the curve.

SoIC and CoWoS are in such high demand that even a tiny delay risks chaos across the supply chain. With Nvidia's Rubin lined up just six months after Blackwell Ultra, the packaging needs are completely different, and TSMC has had to react before the first chip even rolls off the line.

The result is a mad scramble in Taiwan, where almost all this advanced packaging happens. TSMC does have long-term plans to set something up in the US, but for now, it’s doubling down at home, roping in every available resource to stay on Nvidia's hamster wheel.