TSMC, the company that manufactures roughly 90% of the world’s most advanced semiconductors, just told shareholders it’s open to hiking prices. For an industry that touches nearly every corner of modern technology, including crypto mining hardware, that’s a big deal.
CEO C.C. Wei made the comments at TSMC’s annual shareholder meeting on June 4, framing the potential increases as gradual and sustainable rather than sudden. The driving forces behind the move are familiar: inflation, geopolitical friction, and a seemingly bottomless appetite for AI chips.
The numbers behind the price pressure
The anticipated increases aren’t trivial. TSMC is reportedly eyeing price hikes of 5% to 10% for its most advanced chip processes, specifically those below the 5nm threshold. For its cutting-edge 3nm wafers, the increase could reach as high as 15% in the second half of 2026.
To put that in perspective, a single 3nm wafer currently costs approximately $20,000. A 15% bump pushes that closer to $23,000 per wafer. And the next generation, 2nm wafers, are expected to cost north of $30,000 each.
