TSMC price hikes push Qualcomm toward Samsung foundry
Key Insight:
TSMC’s recent price hikes for advanced chip nodes, including a 10-20% increase for 2nm wafers priced at $30,000, are driving major clients like Qualcomm to pivot toward Samsung Foundry, which offers competitive 2nm wafer pricing at approximately $20,000.
Background:
TSMC holds a dominant 70.2% share of the global foundry market and is heavily investing in capacity expansion with a $165 billion Arizona facility project. However, rising wafer prices are impacting customers significantly, with Qualcomm facing a 16% cost increase on 3nm chips and MediaTek a 24% increase. In response, Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon indicated openness to diversify manufacturing partners, excluding Intel but considering Samsung’s improved 2nm Gate-All-Around technology, which has achieved yield improvements from 30% to 50% in 2025.
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