AI hands foundries pricing power: TSMC leads, but the boom spreads industry-wide - digitimes

As artificial intelligence technology rapidly advances, AI chip demand in 2026 has expanded beyond traditional GPU domains to encompass ASICs, networking chips, PMICs, and a wide range of peripheral I... Read original →

The broadening AI chip demand is triggering a full-stack reconfiguration across semiconductor manufacturing. Beyond GPUs, 3nm and EUV processes now serve ASICs, PMICs, and interconnect ICs, accelerating CoWoS packaging and HBM adoption. TSMC leverages its yield leadership and CoWoS capacity to shift pricing from cost-based to value-based. However, tightening U.S. export controls on advanced equipment are inflating compliance costs and fragmenting supply chains. In response, Samsung and Intel may deepen partnerships with domestic AI players like AMD or Microsoft to secure long-term capacity while fast-tracking in-house 2.5D/3D integration. Over the next 12–24 months, the foundry race will bifurcate into ‘advanced nodes + heterogeneous integration,’ with mature nodes remaining tight due to peripheral IC demand—transforming the landscape from ‘one dominant leader’ to ‘multipolar competition.’