Taipei, Dec. 4, 2012 (CENS)--In a recent interview with Forbes Magazine, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Morris Chang pointed out that 2012 is a good year for the company, but the company will perform much better in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

In its December issue, the magazine has named Chang as its Asia's 2012 Businessman of the Year for his brilliant achievements in transforming the company.

The magazine pointed out that Chang had left the CEO seat in 2005 at the age of 78 and returned to the helm in 2009 on concerns about the future. His hard work has paid off: TSMC's shares hit a 10-year high this year, profit for 2012 is en route to a record and net profit jumped 62% to US$1.7 billion in the third quarter of the year.

The company, currently the world's No.1 silicon foundry provider, saw its share price hit an 11-year high of NT$98.7 (US$3.4 at US$1:NT$29) per share on Nov. 30 on Taiwan Stock Exchange, which sent the company's total market value up to NT$2.56 trillion (US$88 billion).

Forbes pointed out that TSMC has emerged as the world's No.2 chip maker in terms of market value, next only to Intel.

Chang pointed out that the company is being driven up by the brisk market for smartphones and tablet PCs as well as no threat of his company's foundry business to its customers.

He noted that currently around one-third of the world's chips are outsourced and the percentage will continue going up. He added that although TSMC's operation is also affected by market fluctuation, the company's revenue and profit have reached peak and its technology advance is distancing from its rivals'.