Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) said its net profit in the second quarter grew 23.8 percent year over year, driven by demand for power-efficient chips for mobile phones built with its new 28-nanometer manufacturing process. The contract chipmaker's net profit for the quarter reached NT$51.8 billion (US$1.7 billion), an increase from NT$41.8 billion in the same period a year earlier, TSMC reported on Thursday.

Revenue was at a record NT$156 billion, a year-over-year increase of 21.6 percent and at the upper end of its forecast.

TSMC's clients include Qualcomm and Nvidia. The company has also reportedly signed a deal to start making chips for Apple next year. About a third of TSMC's revenues are projected to come from smartphones and tablets in 2013.

Shipments of 28-nanometer process technology reached 29% of TSMC's total wafer revenues. 40/45-nanometer accounted for 21% of total wafer revenues. Advanced technologies, defined as 40/45-nanometers and below, accounted for 50% of total wafer revenues.

At the same time, the company is also seeing major growth for smartphone chips at the lower end of the market.

TSMC is preparing to deploy next-generation chip-making technology. Early in 2014, TSMC will start using its new 20-nanometer manufacturing processes to build chips in larger volumes. By early 2015, the company will move to its 16-nanometer process.

TSMC says that its 20-nanometer manufacturing process will provide 30 percent higher speeds over its current 28-nanometer technology. The company's 16-nanometer technology can provide a similar gain, of 20 percent, over the 20-nanometer process.