The chip price surge is here! TSMC is reported to have raised the price of 2nm chips by at least 50%, while Samsung and SK Hynix have already increased their prices
The price of TSMC's 2nm process has increased by at least 50% compared to the 3nm process, while the price of the last generation 3nm CPU has already risen by about 20% compared to the previous generation. Meanwhile, storage chip giants such as Samsung and SK Hynix have taken the lead in raising product prices, accelerating the fermentation of semiconductor inflation
The global semiconductor industry is 迎来 a new round of price increases!
On Tuesday, according to media reports, TSMC's 2nm process price has increased by at least 50% compared to the 3nm process, while the price of the last generation 3nm CPU has risen by about 20% compared to the previous generation. Meanwhile, storage chip giants Samsung and SK Hynix have already raised their product prices, accelerating semiconductor inflation.
According to industry sources, TSMC's latest 2nm process will begin mass production this quarter, but due to the enormous capital expenditure for advanced processes, TSMC has no discount or negotiation strategy at present. The supply chain estimates that the unit price of flagship chips using the 2nm process may reach $280.
Driven by strong demand for memory from AI data centers, Samsung has significantly raised the prices of memory and flash products this week, with DRAM product prices increasing by as much as 30%, and delivery times extended from one month to over six months. Competitors such as Micron and SanDisk are also following suit with price increases.
TSMC's 2nm Process Price Increase Exceeds Expectations
TSMC's pricing strategy for the 2nm process demonstrates the strong position of this world's largest chip foundry. Industry rumors suggest that mobile chips will enter the 2nm era next year, but TSMC's capital expenditure for advanced processes is enormous. Although the yield has already met standards, the company maintains a tough pricing strategy.
Compared to the 3nm process, the price increase for the 2nm process is at least 50%. Initial products will mainly focus on AI and high-efficiency computing chips, but mobile chips will gradually enter mass production by the end of next year. This increase far exceeds market expectations, reflecting the scarcity and high costs of advanced process technology.
Currently, MediaTek and Qualcomm in the Android smartphone camp are launching their latest flagship chips, the Dimensity 9500 and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, both using TSMC's latest N3P process. The supply chain indicates that the prices of these last generation 3nm flagship chips have already increased by 16% to 24%.
According to Economic News Daily, Apple has further increased its reservation share for TSMC's 2nm capacity from nearly 50% to over 50%. As TSMC's largest customer, Apple contributed 22% of the revenue for this chip foundry giant in 2024, amounting to $19.4 billion.
The latest iPhone 17 series A19 chip uses TSMC's latest 3nm N3P process, and the next generation A20 will enter the 2nm era. This massive procurement scale provides Apple with strong negotiating leverage in capacity allocation.
Qualcomm and MediaTek also plan to launch their first 2nm chip products by the end of 2026, but Apple's capacity monopoly strategy may force these competitors to face supply shortages. This concentrated allocation of capacity will further widen the gap in chip technology between Apple and the Android camp.
Storage Chip Manufacturers Raise Prices Collectively
The storage chip market is experiencing price increases due to supply-demand imbalances. Samsung has significantly raised the prices of memory and flash products this week, with DRAM product prices increasing by as much as 30%, and NAND flash prices rising by 5-10%, due to supply tightness and surging demand from cloud enterprises.
Competitors such as Micron and SanDisk have also announced similar price increases, with Micron's increase reaching 20-30% and suspending new orders. Driven by strong demand for memory and hard drives from AI data centers, major manufacturers like Samsung, SK Hynix, Micron, WD, and SanDisk have also extended delivery times for various consumer and enterprise products from one month to over six months This round of price increases reflects the deep impact of the explosion of AI applications on the semiconductor industry chain, with the demand for data center construction continuously driving up memory procurement volumes, significantly enhancing the bargaining power of suppliers
