August 20, 2026 -
China’s top foundry, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC, 中芯), yesterday said that artificial intelligence (AI)-related demand would continue to underpin orders for its production and that it had raised prices for its most sought-after capacity.
SMIC co-chief executive officer Zhao Haijun (趙海軍) said on an earnings call that the firm raised prices following negotiations with customers in the first quarter and that it would charge more for wafers processed in the third quarter.
“We believe we’ve reached top-tier industry standards in these areas,” Zhao said. “Since there’s still a big gap between industry-leading wafer prices and SMIC’s current prices, we need to negotiate with customers for fairer pricing.”