TSMC Q4 profit jumps 35% to record, beats expectations

TAIPEI, Jan 15 (Reuters) - TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, posted a 35% jump in fourth-quarter net profit on Thursday, beating market forecasts and hitting a record as it benefited from surging demand for semiconductors used in artificial intelligence applications.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, whose customers include Nvidia and Apple, saw October-December net profit rise to T$505.7 billion ($16.01 billion).

The profit handily beat a T$478.4 billion LSEG SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate.

($1 = 31.5920 Taiwan dollars)

(Reporting by Wen-Yee Lee, Faith Hung and Yimou Lee; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)