Overview
- Multiple outlets reported Wednesday that Samsung raised prices on new orders for its 4nm and 5nm processes by about 10%–15% and on 8nm by roughly 10%, with larger increases for U.S. and Chinese customers and smaller lifts for Taiwanese clients.
- The company’s SF4 (4nm) line at Pyeongtaek has run at full capacity since late last year, and industry sources say TSMC’s booked leading-edge capacity and higher quotes for competitors pushed customers toward Samsung.
- U.S. export limits on advanced chipmaking gear have reduced China’s domestic supply options, which industry sources say made Chinese firms more willing to accept the steepest price hikes from overseas foundries.
- Markets reacted sharply to the reports as Samsung shares fell about 7% and South Korea’s KOSPI dropped more than 6%, prompting the Korea Exchange to trigger its sell-side sidecar mechanism during the selloff.
- Analysts say higher pricing, fuller utilization and better yields combined with recent customer deals with firms such as Broadcom, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Apple and Tesla improve the foundry’s path to returning to annual profit as early as 2027 and may raise costs for some devices and chip buyers.