TSMC on Tuesday reported record sales for the month of November, which analysts attributed to solid demand for chips for smartphones and high performance computing devices.

In a statement, TSMC posted NT$107.88 billion (US$3.54 billion) in consolidated sales for November, up 1.7 percent from the previous month and 9.7 percent from a year earlier.

The monthly figure was the company's highest since August, when it recorded sales of NT$106.12 billion, its data showed.

For the first 11 months of the year, TSMC's consolidated sales were NT$966.67 billion, a 2.7 percent increase from a year earlier, the data indicated.

Although the fourth quarter is a slow season in the global semiconductor industry, TSMC sales in November were bolstered by strong demand for chips on the 7 nanometer process, analysts said.

TSMC, which holds a share of more than 50 percent in the global pure wafer foundry industry, launched mass production of its advanced 7nm chips in 2018 and is scheduled to begin mass production of 5nm and 3nm chips in 2020 and 2022, respectively.

According to the company's forecast made in October, TSMC's fourth-quarter consolidated sales will increase by a quarterly 9 percent to between US$10.2 billion and US$10.3 billion.

Based on the sales figure of NT$213.92 billion for the first two months of the quarter, analysts said, TSMC will be able to reach the goal.

In the first quarter of 2020, TSMC is expected to record flat sales, with an increase in orders from U.S.-based CPU maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc., Chinese telecom equipment brand Huawei Technologies Co. and Taiwanese integrated circuit designer MediaTek Inc., despite the slow period for the industry, analysts said.