According to Reuters, Chinese AI, robotics, and semiconductor stocks have suffered a steep sell-off in less than four months. The Shanghai STAR 50 Index has fallen about 40% from its June peak, wiping out approximately US$480 billion in market value across AI and semiconductor stocks, casting a shadow over Beijing's push to achieve global technology leadership. The source does not state the cause of the decline.
AI and semiconductor stocksrobotics stocksDigiTimes AsiaPrice Movement
According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple, once one of the most powerful buyers in the NAND flash market, is losing some of its negotiating leverage as AI-driven demand gives memory suppliers greater pricing power. Meta, Microsoft, and Amazon have signed long-term supply agreements with Kioxia this year at higher prices, strengthening the chipmaker's negotiating position. Separately, South Korean outlet Economy Tribune reports that Apple has reportedly turned to a long-term NAND supply agreement, with market watchers identifying Kioxia as the likely partner; the terms remain undisclosed and this is a reported plan. The report adds that Apple may also pursue long-term agreements with Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, and Micron to secure future LPDDR5X and LPDDR6 supplies. According to TrendForce, memory's share of the 256GB iPhone Pro's bill of materials rose from around 10% a year earlier to 34% in 3Q26 and could exceed 40% in 1H27; TrendForce also estimates the iPhone 18 Pro's total BOM cost could rise 38% YoY, potentially forcing Apple to sacrifice margins to maintain shipments.
NAND flashLPDDR5XLPDDR6Apple, Kioxia and 5 totalTrendForcePrice Movement
Related manufacturers
Apple, Kioxia, Samsung Electronics, SK hynix, Micron
Samsung Electronics reported consolidated revenue of ₩195.3T and operating profit of ₩107.4T for 3Q26, becoming the first global technology company to post quarterly operating profit exceeding ₩100T. Its Device Solutions (DS) division contributed ₩106.5T in operating profit, which Samsung attributed primarily to broad-based memory price increases and a significant expansion in HBM4 sales. DS division revenue was ₩147.1T, up 344% YoY, with a 72% operating margin; memory revenue reached ₩140.7T, up 427% YoY. Samsung attributed the growth to its focus on AI-related products amid capacity constraints, with server demand the strongest and prices rising across end markets. In foundry, higher revenue from HBM base dies and advanced process technologies improved performance; utilization for processes below 8nm is expected to exceed 100%, and 2nm orders secured this year are projected to more than double from 2025. During the earnings call, Samsung stated all HBM supply for 2027 has been committed at target prices, with customers continuing to request additional volumes. HBM4E global sampling began in May, with volume production expected to start in 1H27 and a ramp-up in 2H27; in 4Q27 Samsung plans to further increase sales of HBM4, high-speed DDR5, and server SSDs. Samsung expects the 2027 supply shortage to be more severe than in 2026, with full-year CapEx budgeted at ₩84.4T, of which ₩76.8T is allocated to the DS division.
memoryHBM4HBM4ESamsung ElectronicsTrendForce Official (Market Data)Price Movement
Seagate Technology's latest results show that stronger storage pricing and higher-capacity drives are lifting its profitability, while cloud customers plan further infrastructure investment. No specific price figures are given in the source. The article adds that the next test is whether Seagate's technology transition (the HAMR transition) can deliver more storage capacity while preserving the commercial discipline behind the improvement.
storage drivesSeagate TechnologyDigiTimes AsiaPrice Movement
According to Trendforce, citing supply chain sources and local media, TSMC is weighing raising prices for its Chip on Wafer on Substrate (CoWoS) advanced packaging technology by as much as 20%; TSMC has yet to confirm the report. The reported cause is strained capacity amid AI demand and longer delivery times for chipmaking tools: equipment lead times have reportedly stretched from three to six months to as long as eight months, and TSMC has reportedly placed this year's equipment orders at existing prices instead of negotiating discounts. CoWoS combines logic dies and HBM stacks in a single package; Nvidia's Blackwell already pairs two large GPU dies with eight HBM3E stacks, while the upcoming Rubin and Rubin Ultra are expected to push integration further and increase pressure on packaging. Testing is another bottleneck: Blackwell reportedly takes three to four times longer to test than Hopper, and Rubin could need as much as seven times longer; server CPUs and custom ASICs also compete for advanced packaging capacity. Background: TSMC deputy co-COO Cliff Hou said that by July the company's expected equipment needs had reached 1.9 times its original estimate; earlier this month GlobalFoundries agreed to produce silicon interposers for TSMC's CoWoS in the U.S. under a five-year contract worth $2 billion, with production expected to ramp up in the first half of 2028; TSMC is reportedly also considering broader price increases for 2027, with advanced-process wafer prices expected to rise 5% to 10%, steepest for 2nm and 3nm-class node customers, and customers seeking capacity beyond original allocations facing premiums that could push some costs up by as much as 25%. Industry estimates cited by Trendforce put TSMC's monthly capacity at over 106,000 wafers in 2026, with a target of 227,000 wafers in 2027. If both packaging and wafer price increases materialize, AI hardware costs will likely climb further.
CoWoS先进封装先进制程晶圆硅中介层TSMC, Nvidia and 3 totalTom's HardwarePrice Movement
According to supply chain sources cited by Commercial Times, as increasingly large AI accelerators strain advanced packaging capacity, TSMC's CoWoS supply remains tight, and TSMC is reportedly weighing price hikes of up to 20%, with some packaging lead times already stretching; Commercial Times reports that foundries and OSAT providers are considering another round of CoWoS price increases of 10%–20%. The stated backdrop is that advanced packaging demand is expanding beyond AI GPUs to server CPUs and custom ASICs, adding to a growing backlog of unfilled orders; longer AI chip testing times are an additional bottleneck, with Seoul Economic Daily citing Nomura Securities that NVIDIA Blackwell's final testing takes an estimated four times as long as Hopper's, while Rubin could require seven times as long. On equipment, Commercial Times reports equipment lead times have lengthened to six to eight months, up from three to six months, as customers prioritize securing deliveries over negotiating prices; TSMC, which typically negotiates price cuts or additional features at no extra cost, reportedly placed equipment orders at existing prices this year without seeking discounts or upgrades. Separately, according to Liberty Times, TSMC has finalized plans to raise wafer-out prices by 3%–6% starting January 2027, depending on the process node, with advanced nodes such as 2nm and 3nm seeing the steepest increases. On capacity, analysts cited by Commercial Times estimate monthly CoWoS capacity will exceed 130,000 wafers in 2026 and target 200,000 in 2027; Goldman Sachs projects TSMC's CoWoS capacity to reach 1.275 million wafers in 2026 (roughly 106,000 per month), before surging 114% YoY to 2.73 million in 2027 (227,500 monthly), and climbing another 27% to 3.48 million wafers in 2028 (nearly 290,000 per month). At its latest earnings call, Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei highlighted strong yields for its 5x reticle-size packaging, already in mass production, while confirming development of 9x and 14x solutions; the company is also advancing CoPoS to support larger packages at lower costs, with Commercial Times pointing to a 2028 timeline for 14x packaging. The price increases remain reported or planned and the article does not state they have been formally implemented.
Persistent supply shortages have kept the niche memory market hot, with Elite Semiconductor Microelectronics Technology (ESMT) estimating that the structural supply gap exceeds 30%. The company expects tight supply and demand to continue through 2028 or longer, while price increases are set to continue in the fourth quarter of 2026 and are expected to support stronger operating performance in the fourth quarter than in the third quarter. These are company forecasts/estimates about the future, not achieved results; the source does not state any cause beyond the supply shortages.
niche memoryElite Semiconductor Microelectronics Technology (ESMT)DigiTimes AsiaPrice Movement
PSMC's third-quarter revenue rose 23% sequentially and 80% annually to NT$21.3 billion, while net profit surged 98% and 338%, respectively, to NT$6.5 billion, with gross margin climbing 20 percentage points to 48%, driven by rising memory prices and tight foundry capacity. According to Liberty Times, PSMC President Martin Chu expects fourth-quarter revenue to grow by double digits sequentially as ASPs continue to rise; in the third quarter, completed memory wafers had ASPs more than 30% below those entering production during the same period, meaning recent price increases have yet to be fully reflected in revenue, with higher-priced wafers expected to contribute more in the fourth quarter. According to TechNews, global DRAM supply remains tight as major manufacturers shift capacity toward HBM and gradually exit specialty DRAM, keeping PSMC's specialty DRAM foundry prices elevated; PSMC is advancing its 1p DRAM collaboration with Micron, with a PDK due by the end of 2026, equipment arriving in 1Q27, and trial production starting in 2Q27. PSMC notes tight MLC NAND supply is driving demand for high-capacity SLC NAND, with the company shifting its SLC foundry platform to 24nm; AI servers require three to five times as much NOR Flash per system as conventional servers, and PSMC is the only NOR Flash foundry outside China. According to PSMC's earnings presentation, wafer input ASPs for its 8-inch and 12-inch logic foundry services rose 8–10% in the third quarter; with capacity constraints persisting, the company plans further price hikes of 10–20% in 2027 and is negotiating long-term agreements (LTAs) to secure pricing and volumes. PSMC has begun shipping 55nm BCD products with customers seeking three-year contracts; fully utilized 2026 foundry capacity is squeezing smartphone PMIC production, prompting major handset makers to seek 2027 capacity; 80% of 2027 MOSFET and IGBT capacity is already covered by LTAs; GaN products have entered small-volume wafer production pending final customer validation. IPD order visibility extends into 2028 with mass production underway on 8-inch and 12-inch wafers; WoW hybrid bonding small-scale trial production is underway with mass production targeted for 1H27. The Micron PWF project remains on schedule, with pilot line construction expected to finish by the end of 2026 and mass production planned for 4Q27.
memoryspecialty DRAMNAND FlashPowerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC), MicronTrendForcePrice Movement
According to Commercial Times, institutional investors remain optimistic about the memory industry's long-term outlook, supported by expanding AI inference demand and limited new supply of mature memory products, despite slowing gains; fourth-quarter DRAM contract prices in 2026 are expected to rise about 20% quarter-on-quarter. The projected increase marks a slowdown from approximately 80% in the second quarter and 40% in the third, which the report attributes to a higher comparison base, weakening end-market purchasing power, and price ceilings under long-term agreements (LTAs) gradually taking effect. CXMT has announced progress in its next-generation 4F² DRAM architecture, which institutional investors note could theoretically reduce memory cell area by about 33% compared with the mainstream 6F² design, though mass production still faces challenges involving yields, leakage current, and data retention; it remains unclear whether the 4F² design applies to the entire DRAM cell or only specific areas, with full commercialization generally expected after 2028, and MoneyToday notes CXMT's announcement has yet to significantly affect DRAM spot prices, which continue to rise. Per Chosun Biz, companies including Apple and Tesla have raised the possibility of turning to Chinese suppliers such as CXMT and YMTC as memory costs climb, though analysts see limited near-term price pressure given constraints on Chinese suppliers' pricing competitiveness, available volumes, and sales markets. According to Commercial Times, if NVIDIA switches Rubin Ultra from 12-Hi to 8-Hi HBM while keeping the number of stacks per GPU and capacity per DRAM layer unchanged, HBM capacity per GPU would fall by about 33%, while the same DRAM die supply could theoretically support 50% more GPUs; TrendForce notes 8-Hi HBM is expected to cost 10–20% more per Gb than 12-Hi in 2027. Institutional investors note that larger AI models, longer context windows, and growing KV cache requirements are driving demand for greater memory capacity and bandwidth, particularly server DRAM and enterprise SSDs.
DRAMHBMserver DRAMCXMT, NVIDIATrendForcePrice Movement
CanSemi debuted on the ChiNext board on October 13 with an IPO price of CNY 12.01 per share; shares opened at CNY 45, up 274.69%, raising approximately CNY 7.5 billion.
Nanya Technology reported record quarterly earnings for the third quarter of 2026, according to unaudited results released on October 12, as DRAM average selling prices (ASPs) rose more than 60% sequentially following the expiration of low-priced long-term agreements (LTAs). The company's gross margin reached 85.7% as stated in the title. The source does not state the future price direction.
ASML will raise prices by 10% across replacement parts supplied to South Korea, covering all parts for extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems, with the new prices taking effect for deliveries starting in January 2027. According to industry sources, ASML headquarters notified Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix of the proposed increase through its South Korean subsidiary in early September, and the increase was finalized after discussions with the purchasing organizations of both companies. Prices will rise for everything from consumable parts purchased regularly to major components replaced because of failures or performance degradation, raising the cost of keeping the equipment operational. Industry sources say ASML has traditionally adjusted prices for individual parts only when raw material costs rose sharply or specific materials became difficult to procure, making a blanket 10% increase unusual; an industry official said component prices have risen across the board but ASML also appears to be seeking a larger share of the profits its customers are making. ASML separately reports revenue from services, parts and upgrades for installed equipment, which totaled €8.193 billion last year, accounting for 25% of total sales of €32.667 billion, and the company forecast this revenue would grow by more than 30% this year. Prices for newly ordered equipment are also likely to increase, and ASML is discussing equipment price increases with major customers. The Information reported in July that ASML had notified Chinese semiconductor manufacturers and other customers of a 10% increase in DUV equipment prices, with some customers accepting, while largest customer TSMC was reportedly opposing the increase. Industry observers expect the across-the-board increase, accepted by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, to strengthen the position of other equipment and component suppliers seeking price increases: Applied Materials said in August that prices had risen for both new and existing products, Tokyo Electron said in late July it was pursuing price adjustments including for equipment already on the market, and Advanced Energy Industries said it had raised prices for some product lines. The source states the cause: AI data center investment has prompted memory makers and foundries to expand capacity simultaneously, driving up equipment and component orders while suppliers need time to expand production, creating a supply-demand imbalance; rising inflation and raw material costs have added to supplier cost burdens, giving suppliers greater negotiating leverage.
EUV lithography system replacement partsDUV lithography system replacement partsASML, Samsung Electronics and 3 totalThe ElecPrice Movement
According to STAR Market Daily, semiconductor testing demand is surging as increasingly complex AI chips require more intensive processes, tightening available capacity; OSAT provider Sigurd Microelectronics has posted monthly revenue above NT$2 billion for three consecutive months, and customers are increasingly signing long-term agreements to secure testing capacity — most have signed capacity agreements lasting more than a year, others have reserved capacity through dedicated equipment, and some memory customers are even willing to pay premiums to lock in capacity. On pricing, Sigurd said it could not speak for the industry but confirmed that it has already begun raising its own prices. Per TechNews, AI, CPUs, GPUs, ASICs, and silicon photonics generated about NT$3.7 billion in revenue for Sigurd in the first nine months of 2026, up from roughly NT$2.5 billion a year earlier, with their share of total revenue rising from 20% to 24%, and the company expects the share to exceed 30% in 2027. Silicon photonics is also a key growth driver: Sigurd has expanded its optical communications testing capabilities to cover EICs, PICs, and optical engines, spanning testing technology, R&D engineering, and volume production. Strong demand is accelerating capacity expansion: Sigurd's second Hukou plant began production in July, with about 40% of capacity online as of October and already locked in by customers; Zhongxing Plant 3 is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of 2026 and volume production in the first quarter of 2027. Sigurd has raised its 2026 capex to NT$8.8 billion, 48% above its original plan, focused on advanced testing equipment, and is in discussions with several key customers and could raise capex again in the coming months. As background: per Seoul Economic Daily citing Nomura Securities, NVIDIA Blackwell's final test time is estimated at four times that of Hopper, while Rubin could require seven times as long, with testing's share of GPU manufacturing costs projected to rise from 1.9% for Hopper to 2.5% for Blackwell and 3.3% for Rubin; per ETNews, Digital Frontier and UniTest have secured a combined KRW 283.94 billion in HBM4 wafer tester orders from SK hynix this year, and as HBM complexity increases, more test items and longer testing times could drive testing equipment demand to grow faster than HBM output itself.
AI芯片测试产能HBM4晶圆测试机硅光子（EIC、PIC、光引擎测试）Sigurd Microelectronics, SK hynix and 5 totalTrendForcePrice Movement
Related manufacturers
Sigurd Microelectronics, SK hynix, Digital Frontier, UniTest, NVIDIA
Kurnal Insights reports 1b-gen DRAM die value ($0.654/mm²) exceeds TSMC N2 wafer pricing ($0.424/mm²). This reflects record-high spot prices for DDR5 eTT memory (~$1.55/Gb) driven by AI demand. The analysis indicates a bullish outlook for memory pricing due to persistent shortages.
DRAMDDR5Samsung Electronics, TSMCTom's HardwarePrice Movement
Newegg offers a bundle of AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Asus X870E motherboard, and 32GB DDR5 RAM for $1,109.99, saving $150 compared to individual parts. This reflects the ongoing memory crisis driving up component costs, though retailers are using bundles to offset inflation. Bullish: The deal signals current high pricing pressure in the DDR5 and CPU markets.
Ryzen 7 9800X3DDDR5 RAMX870E MotherboardAMD, Asus and 3 totalTom's HardwarePrice Movement
MLCC, resistors, and inductors see prices rising 15% to 70% due to raw material inflation and supply constraints. AI and EV demand has pushed capacity utilization above 95%, creating a structural shortage. Bullish: Price uptrend confirmed.
MLCCTantalum capacitorsPolymer capacitorsElectronics SourcingPrice Movement
South Korean DRAM export prices surged 401% year-on-year to $92,183 per kilogram in early August, while server DDR5 contract prices jumped 64% in the second half of 2025. This rally is driven by high-density product demand and capacity constraints, with projections for further increases of 13-18% in Q3 and 3-8% in Q4 2026. Bullish. The sustained price shock across global markets (US, Germany, Japan) confirms a severe shortage and strong demand for server memory.
DDR5DRAMServer DRAMSamsung ElectronicsTrendForcePrice Movement
YMTC overtook Micron and Kioxia in Q2 NAND unit shipments to capture 14% market share, ranking third globally. Record industry revenue surged fivefold due to AI workload migration to inference, driving enterprise SSD demand and supply tightness. This bullish demand environment supports NAND price increases despite YMTC's current revenue mix disadvantage.
NAND FlasheSSDs3D NANDYMTC, Samsung Electronics and 5 totalElectronics WeeklyPrice Movement
Related manufacturers
YMTC, Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, Kioxia, Micron
The global semiconductor market is projected to grow 98.3% in 2026, with the memory sector surging 298% due to AI demand. HBM capacity shifts are tightening mainstream DRAM supply, driving average selling prices up 268%. Bullish, this structural shortage signals sustained price increases across the technology supply chain.
HBMDRAMNAND FlashSamsung Electronics, SK hynix and 3 totalSemiWikiPrice Movement
PC cooling manufacturer Arctic has lowered prices across its lineup following a U.S. tariff refund, with the Liquid Freezer III Pro 360mm AIO dropping to $69.89. Previously, the company absorbed tariffs to protect customers, but a Supreme Court ruling now allows for refunds. Bearish, this move pressures other manufacturers to follow suit.
PC CoolingAIO Liquid CoolersCase FansArcticTom's HardwarePrice Movement