Prices of 8-inch wafers to rise 20 percentSIZE MATTERS: TSMC started phasing out 8-inch wafer production last year, while Samsung is more aggressively retiring 8-inch capacity, TrendForce saidBy Lisa Wang / Staff reporterChipmakers are expected to raise prices of 8-inch wafers by up to 20 percent this year on concern over supply constraints as major contract chipmakers Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and Samsung Electronics Co gradually retire less advanced wafer capacity, TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said yesterday. Global 8-inch wafer capacity slid 0.3 percent year-on-year last year, although 8-inch wafer prices still hovered at relatively stable levels throughout the year, TrendForce said. TSMC started phasing out 8-inch wafer production last year and plans to halt operations at some of its 8-inch wafer fabs next year, while Samsung is more aggressively retiring its 8-inch wafer capacity, the researcher said. Against that backdrop, contract chipmakers are considering raising 8-inch wafer prices by 5 to 20 percent this year, a larger scale than last year when supply started showing signs of slowing down, TrendForce said. Meanwhile, increasing demand for power chips used in artificial intelligence (AI) servers and front-loading demand for chips used in consumer electronics are boosting factory utilization of 8-inch fabs, TrendForce said.

Source: Taipei Times January 13, 2026 16:10 UTC