On Monday, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSM.US) shares climbed during intraday trading, rising about 1.4% to $479 as of press time, with a market capitalization of roughly $2.49 trillion, reaching an all-time high.

On the news front, according to media reports, TSMC is evaluating a potential partnership with Elon Musk's Terafab mega-fab project in Texas, a venture tied to the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, to build advanced end-to-end semiconductor manufacturing capacity in the United States.

Musk personally confirmed the news on the social media platform X. TSMC officially maintained its usual low profile and made no public response.

Multiple industry sources told media that the two sides have indeed been in contact, but are still "very far" from signing an agreement, and that the current stage is more like a "dating phase."

The proposed plan envisions TSMC taking responsibility for developing wafer manufacturing capabilities, while Terafab would provide financial support, equity investment, procurement agreements, and other supporting conditions needed to ensure the new fab's capacity runs smoothly. The exact form of cooperation between the two sides has not yet been determined.