TSMC is reportedly weighing TSMC price hikes of up to 20% on its CoWoS advanced-packaging service and a 3% to 6% increase in wafer prices starting in January 2027, according to a TrendForce news report published October 27. The company has not confirmed any of it. The sourcing matters: the figures come from Taiwanese outlets citing supply-chain sources.
What the TSMC price hikes reports say
TrendForce attributes the CoWoS number to Commercial Times, which cites supply-chain sources saying TSMC is “weighing price hikes of up to 20%.” Commercial Times also reports that foundries and outsourced packaging firms are considering another round of CoWoS increases of 10% to 20%. A separate report from Liberty Times says TSMC has finalized plans to raise wafer prices by 3% to 6% from January 2027, with the steepest increases on the 2-nanometer and 3-nanometer nodes.
The 20% figure is a ceiling, not an expected average, and the 10% to 20% range applies to a broader group of suppliers, not to TSMC alone. TrendForce’s own note says most pricing and equipment claims are secondhand and unconfirmed by TSMC. It also says its news desk operates independently of its research team.
Why packaging is the tight spot
CoWoS is the packaging step that joins AI processors with high-bandwidth memory, and supply has stayed tight. TrendForce reports that some packaging lead times are stretching and that demand is spreading beyond AI graphics processors to server CPUs and custom chips. Equipment lead times have reportedly grown to six to eight months from three to six, citing Seoul Economic Daily.
Capacity figures are analyst estimates, not company guidance. Commercial Times analysts cited by TrendForce estimate monthly CoWoS capacity above 130,000 wafers in 2026 and a target of 200,000 in 2027. Goldman Sachs projections cited in the same report put 2026 output at 1.275 million wafers, 2027 at 2.73 million (up 114%), and 2028 at 3.48 million (up 27%).
Who could feel TSMC price hikes
If the reports are right, the customers paying more are the chip designers that rely on TSMC and its packaging for AI accelerators. Whether those costs pass to cloud providers and, eventually, to buyers is a separate question the reports do not answer. Our earlier coverage of Big Tech’s AI spending and the Intel earnings preview shows how much capital is already going into AI infrastructure, and higher input prices would add to that bill.
What to watch next
The signals worth tracking are TSMC’s own statements, customer commentary on pricing in upcoming earnings calls, and whether the January wafer increase is confirmed. Until then, the TSMC price hikes are a report to weigh, not a fact to build on.
Editor’s take
Treat “reportedly” as the headline. Pricing leaks from the Taiwanese supply chain are often directionally right and wrong on the details. The number that matters to buyers is not 20%, it is how much of any increase reaches the price of AI hardware and cloud capacity. Until TSMC or a major customer says so, the TSMC price hikes are a reason to watch costs, not to assume them. This article is general information, not investment advice.
