TLDR: Samsung is making bank from its memory, foundry, and smartphones. A buy
Samsung has reportedly increased prices on new advanced foundry orders (across its 4nm, 5nm, and 8nm processes) due to surging AI-driven demand and full capacity utilization at its Pyeongtaek fab.
**Key Breakdown:**
* **Price Hikes by Region & Process:**
* **4nm (SF4):** Prices rose 10% to 15% for US and Chinese customers, while Taiwanese clients saw smaller increases of 5% to 10%.
* **5nm (SF5):** Prices increased by 10% to 15%.
* **8nm:** Prices rose by roughly 10%.
* **Drivers & Market Context:**
* High demand from Chinese chipmakers, constrained by US export controls on advanced toolmaking equipment, is filling capacity. US customers receive top priority, while internal capacity is set aside for Samsung's memory/HBM chips.
* Samsung’s rate increases remain cheaper than TSMC's rates, as TSMC plans node price hikes through 2027.
* **Financial Impact:**
* Analysts project that continuous price increases alongside high-profile contracts (including Tesla, Apple, Broadcom, and Nvidia) could make Samsung's loss-making foundry division profitable as early as next year.
[https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/samsung-raises-advanced-foundry-prices-by-up-to-15-percent-as-ai-demand-fills-its-4nm-lines](https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/samsung-raises-advanced-foundry-prices-by-up-to-15-percent-as-ai-demand-fills-its-4nm-lines)