On August 4, 2026, the surge in GPU orders from NVIDIA pushed TSMC's packaging production lines to their maximum capacity. In response, TSMC made the strategic decision to outsource the CoW (Chip-on-Wafer) portion of its CoWoS packaging technology—a key process in AI chip manufacturing—to leading packaging and testing firms like ASE. CoWoS, TSMC's cutting-edge 2.5D packaging solution for AI chips, features an AI processor at its core, flanked by High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) units and interconnected via an interposer, ensuring optimal performance and efficiency.