AI is pushing chip demand up so fast that TSMC cannot build factories quickly enough — great news for chip equipment makers and Taiwan's suppliers, but a sign of tight supply for everyone buying AI chips.

• TSMC's need for factory equipment jumped 90% in just six months, close to double.
• Nothing in the last 30 years has come close to this speed of demand growth.
• TSMC is building 13 plants in Taiwan at once, plus five or six more abroad — it used to build four or five at a time.
• Even at that pace, it still cannot keep up with what customers want.
• Packaging and power efficiency are the other bottleneck, forcing suppliers to work together in new ways.

Outlook: Chip supply stays tight into next year, keeping equipment makers busy and AI chip buyers waiting.