Asiacompro.com. TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) was founded on February 21, 1987, with headquarters in Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan. (Wikipedia). At its founding, TSMC pioneered what became known as the “pure-play foundry” business model — a radical shift in the semiconductor industry. Instead of designing and marketing its own chips, TSMC committed to focusing only on manufacturing chips designed by its customers. (TSMC)