TAIPEI (Reuters) -TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, reported strong growth in second-quarter revenue on Wednesday that handily beat market forecasts, on the back of booming demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, whose customers include Apple and Nvidia, has benefited from the surge towards AI that has helped it weather the tapering off of pandemic-led demand and pushed TSMC’s share price to a record high. It is not a direct comparison as TSMC provides monthly revenue data only in Taiwan dollars, but gives quarterly revenue figures and its outlook on its quarterly earnings calls both in U.S. dollars.