TSMC and ASML Post Records as KOSPI Falls 7.57% on AI Chip Fears

This update is a roundup of same-day reporting from the linked sources below, with editorial context from the CPJ Stock Desk.

Record results from TSMC and ASML confirmed that AI chip demand is still feeding the supply chain. South Korea’s market, meanwhile, sold off hard on valuation worries, according to the sources below.

Key points

ASML reported record Q3 sales of €11.7 billion, up 25% from Q2, with net income of €5.0 billion versus €2.9 billion.
TSMC’s Q3 profit rose more than expected to a record high on AI-fueled demand.
The KOSPI dropped 7.57% to 5554.22 on October 15, described as a historic decline tied to AI chip valuations.
Apple and Meta are working to make Meta’s Muse Spark Open run locally on clustered Mac Studio systems.
Germany announced an upcoming collaboration with Nvidia on autonomous vehicles and robotics.

Do record earnings and a market rout fit together?

They point in different directions on the same trade. ASML’s third quarter showed sales of €11.7 billion ($13.6 billion), and the company’s net income climbed from €2.9 billion in the second quarter to €5.0 billion. The report ties the strength to growing AI chip demand driving semiconductor equipment investment. TSMC’s profit beat expectations and hit a record, again attributed to AI demand. The summaries we have do not give TSMC’s exact figures, so we do not quote them here.

The KOSPI move is the counterweight. The index fell 7.57% to close at 5554.22 in what the source calls a historic decline amid an AI chip valuation crisis. The summary available does not detail the specific triggers or which stocks led the drop, so the cause should be treated as the publisher’s framing rather than a settled explanation. Still, the contrast is useful for investors: strong fundamentals at the equipment and foundry layer have not shielded chip-linked equities from sharp repricing when valuation concerns surface.

What does the Apple and Meta tie-up signal?

Apple and Meta say they are collaborating to make Muse Spark Open easier to run locally on clustered Mac Studio systems, per CNBC. The detail available is thin. There is no pricing, performance data, or timeline in the summary. What it does show is a push toward running capable models on local hardware rather than only in cloud data centers. Whether that meaningfully changes demand for data center chips is not something these sources address, and it would be speculation to say so.

Government and industrial moves

Germany’s government said on October 15 that it will collaborate with Nvidia to advance autonomous vehicle technology and robotics, according to GuruFocus. The collaboration is described as upcoming, and terms were not given in the summary.

Separately, Japan announced an agreement with the United States on a $21 billion semiconductor project. A companion report links it to GlobalFoundries. The two reports name the Japanese trade minister differently, so the sourcing on details looks inconsistent and the specifics should be confirmed against an official release.

On the design side, Nvidia is testing AI on chip design and finding it harder than office tasks like coding and summarizing. That is a reminder that AI’s gains are uneven across use cases.

Smaller items

Nvidia is ending Windows 10 game optimizations after driver 617.42, and new GeForce and Studio drivers will require Windows 11 from November 2026, per Tech Times. Security patches continue through October 2029.

Separately, Barclays analyst Dan Levy is weighing a possible SpaceX takeover of Tesla, and Piper Sandler downgraded AST SpaceMobile, which fell 7.55% on October 13. Both are analyst commentary and speculation, not announced deals.

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