Samsung just made it pricier to get chips made.
The company raised prices on some advanced contract manufacturing orders by up to 15%, Reuters reported, citing two people familiar with the matter. Chinese customers are absorbing the steepest increases. The hikes apply to new orders and come as demand for AI chips surges, squeezing capacity across the foundry business. Samsung has not commented publicly on the pricing changes.
The bigger story is what this says about the foundry market. Samsung is the distant number two behind TSMC, and price hikes usually signal a seller's market - not a challenger's typical move to win business. If even Samsung can raise prices amid AI-driven demand, it suggests capacity is tight industry-wide, not just at the top.
TSMC has spent years commanding premium prices while customers lined up anyway. Samsung charging more too just means there is nowhere cheaper left to go.