Taiwan Wafer Makers Move Toward First Price Increases in Three Years

Three Taiwanese silicon wafer makers are negotiating higher prices for new contracts as orders move forward amid strong demand for advanced chip processes tied to artificial intelligence.

The talks involve 環球晶 (6488), 台勝科 (3532) and 合晶 (6182). Negotiations are at different stages, but all three are moving toward increases that would be the first in three years. The makers are also seeking to raise the share of sales covered by long-term agreements.

Shipments originally scheduled to be completed by year-end have already been cleared ahead of schedule. Separately, some orders planned for early 2027 began shipping about one quarter sooner. The shift points to a silicon wafer market recovery arriving earlier than expected.

徐秀蘭, chair of 環球晶, expects the company’s revenue to rise substantially in 2027. She also expects the global silicon wafer industry to post double-digit growth over the next two years, supported by higher prices and increased shipments. She expects silicon wafer spot prices to rise from the second half of 2026 through the first quarter of 2027, with advance payments under long-term contracts increasing in the first half of 2027.

徐秀蘭 pointed to customer capacity expansions and efforts at older plants to remove bottlenecks and shorten delivery times as factors supporting earlier shipments. 台勝科 expects its second-half 2026 performance to exceed the first half as it works to meet customer demand.

合晶 is optimizing its product mix for higher-margin applications and targeting advanced packaging and optical transmission. It has sent square wafer samples for customer validation and is participating in a structural-compensation bare-die project. Its board approved a financing plan Oct. 23 to repay bank loans and buy equipment, with expansion focused on a 12-inch silicon wafer line.

環球晶 completed a $1.432 billion global depositary receipt offering in September, with proceeds planned for overseas raw-material purchases and subsidiary capital spending. Its new Texas plant has completed validation with major semiconductor customers, and future capacity is secured under long-term agreements.