Overview
- Samsung raised prices Wednesday for new advanced-node wafer orders, imposing increases up to 15% on SF4 (4nm), SF5 (5nm) and certain 8nm runs depending on customer and region.
- The largest hikes fall on U.S. and Chinese customers, with Taiwanese clients facing smaller increases, a split driven by export controls, customer priority and demand levels.
- The price move follows tight capacity at market leader TSMC that has pushed some customers to rivals and given Samsung leverage to firm up pricing.
- Improved yields and full utilization of Samsung’s SF4 line at Pyeongtaek, plus deals reported with Broadcom, Nvidia, Apple and Tesla, underpin the company’s ability to raise rates.
- Higher wafer prices are likely to raise costs for AI and high-performance compute products and could accelerate wider foundry price increases as capacity stays constrained.