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TEXXR

Chronicles

The story behind the story

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Sources: TSMC plans to increase prices by ~10% for advanced chips and ~20% for less advanced chips, starting later this year or early next

surprised TSMC didn't do this sooner https://twitter.com/...

Wall Street Journal

Context & Ripple Effects

TSMC had already raised its 2021 capital-spending plan to $25 billion to $28 billion, tying a higher-price move to an aggressive capacity buildout. The reported split between advanced and less advanced chips also makes the increase broader than a single leading-edge product category.

Later coverage of equipment shortages affecting TSMC and Samsung and Samsung's planned price discussions shows that foundry pricing pressure was not confined to TSMC.

First-order effects

  • TSMC's chipmaking customers face roughly 10% higher costs for advanced production and roughly 20% higher costs for less advanced production when the reported increases take effect.
  • TSMC gains a route to fund its expanded capital program through higher wafer revenue across both advanced and mature production.

Second-order effects

  • Samsung and UMC face stronger pressure to defend pricing and capacity economics; subsequent coverage reports Samsung discussing increases of up to 20% as TSMC and UMC planned another round.
  • Chip buyers must account for foundry costs as a product constraint, potentially sharpening allocation and pricing decisions across products that use TSMC-made chips.

Third-order effects

  • If repeated price increases persist alongside capacity investment, semiconductor manufacturing becomes more explicitly governed by long-term supply commitments and the cost of adding capacity rather than by short-term wafer pricing alone.
  • The later report of planned 2027 price hikes and forecast-overrun premiums points to a durable foundry model in which customers pay more for demand that exceeds prior production plans.

The trend: Foundry pricing is becoming a mechanism for rationing constrained capacity and financing the capital required to expand it.

Discussion

  • @matthewstoller Matt Stoller on x
    Chip assembly monopolist Taiwan Semiconductor is raising prices, which will drive price hikes throughout the economy. https://www.wsj.com/...
  • @nerdtechgasm @nerdtechgasm on x
    TSMC raising prices again.. I think we all know this would happen. So many customers on both old nodes and 3/5N supply has been booked out. Good news if you are a share holder. Bad news for consumers. https://www.digitimes.com/...
  • @tapbot_paul Paul Haddad on x
    I don't expect a new Mac mini to get announced next month (or this year), they are going to save all those yummy chips for the $$$ MBPs. New Phones, New iPad, New Watch, New MBPs, which well is a lot.
  • @leaksapplepro @leaksapplepro on x
    Technically Apple has been lowering the Pro iPhone price each year. The price has been, for the past 4 years, $999, inflation grew and the price didn't move, so technically they lowered it. They'll have to, eventually, cross that $1000 mark.
  • @jioriku @jioriku on x
    Great new video from @TailosiveTech on the iPhone 13 pricing increase (Hint: he's *pretty close* to right about how they're doing it) https://www.youtube.com/...
  • @levinepmc Norman Levine on x
    Can somebody say the word, inflation? https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ
  • @wesbury Brian Wesbury on x
    Don't worry, it's transitory. https://www.wsj.com/...
  • @patricknorton Patrick Norton on x
    They also plan on ending discounts for their largest customers... @apple's parts will go up 3-5%. (They consume 20% of the Fab's output.) No idea what this will do to @AMD parts, or the legion of phones, earbuds, routers, etc. that use @Qualcomm chips produced by TSMC...
  • @mpelletiercio Martin Pelletier on x
    Transitory is taking on a whole new meaning. https://www.wsj.com/...
  • @wellisz Chris Wellisz on x
    Chips are only one of many costs that go into a car or smartphone, but TSMC's price increases could eventually filter down to consumers next year unless brand-name companies decide to absorb the higher costs. #chipshortage #inflation https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ
  • @htsfhickey Fred Hickey on x
    TSMC is world's largest semiconductor foundry, maker of nearly 90% of advanced chips. These 10% to20% price increases will in turn, lead to higher prices in most key electronic products NEXT YEAR. More evidence of the Fed's “transitory” inflation claims? https://www.wsj.com/...
  • @matthewkeyslive Matthew Keys on x
    The world's largest manufacturer of microchips will raise its prices by 10-20 percent next year, which could make things like Apple iPhones more expensive. https://www.wsj.com/... $AAPL
  • @taralach Tara Lachapelle on x
    The world's largest contract chipmaker, TSMC, is raising prices 10-20%. Guess who is one of its biggest customers 📲 https://www.wsj.com/... via @WSJ
  • @jchengwsj Jonathan Cheng on x
    As global semiconductor shortage bites, Taiwan's TSMC, the world's largest contract chip maker, is raising prices by as much as 20%, according to people familiar with the matter. @yoyominnie @StephanieAYang @Kubota_Yoko https://www.wsj.com/...
  • @jonst0kes @jonst0kes on x
    Not surprising, given that they've been running full out and their order book is way backlogged. I should've seen this coming when Apple mentioned they'd see shortages in high-end semis affecting their product availability in the fall. https://twitter.com/...
  • @epro Emil Protalinski on x
    When supply can't meet demand, price adjusts accordingly — surprised TSMC didn't do this sooner https://twitter.com/...