Samsung was struggling to charm customers into its chip manufacturing business only a few months ago. Now it is reportedly lifting production prices as orders pile up and capacity gets squeezed.
According to Chosun Biz, Samsung Foundry has decided to raise chip manufacturing prices by up to 15 per cent for new customers.
The increase applies to advanced process nodes, including 4nm and 5nm. The South Korean outfit has reportedly lifted prices for selected 8nm process nodes optimised for automotive chips.
Samsung recently returned to monthly profitability for the first time in three years, which will make the bean counters feel clever again.
Chip manufacturing prices usually settle once production yields improve. The AI boom has made that tidy little rule look a bit quaint. Demand is now outrunning supply, giving foundries such as Samsung Foundry and TSMC the chance to turn the pricing screw.
TSMC has reportedly raised prices by five per cent to 10 per cent for its 3nm, 5nm and 7nm process nodes.
Last year, Samsung Foundry landed a hefty $16.5 billion chip manufacturing contract from Tesla. Since then, its foundry fortunes appear to have perked up.
AMD, Anthropic, BYD, Google and Meta are reportedly sniffing around Samsung’s 2nm and 4nm process nodes.
That is a handy reversal for a business that had been trying to convince customers it was more than a second option behind TSMC.
The AI boom is doing what corporate strategy decks could not: making scarce manufacturing slots look expensive and desirable.
