As a long-term core supply chain partner, TSMC plans to increase the benchmark price of its chips by 5% to 10% starting in 2027. Affected by this adjustment, Apple will have to pay higher costs when purchasing processor chips for product lines such as iPhone and Mac in the future.
The price adjustment was driven by multiple factors such as increased production equipment costs, rising prices of chip manufacturing raw materials, and factory capacity expansion. A spokesperson for TSMC emphasized that this price adjustment is a strategic decision rather than a speculative behavior, and the company will continue to work closely with customers and deliver value to them.
The specific price adjustment range and details will vary according to the type of customer and the type of chip produced. All process nodes are within the scope of this price increase, covering mature processes of 12 nanometers and above, and advanced nodes of 7 nanometers and below. In addition, if the actual order volume of the customer exceeds the forecast amount initially submitted to TSMC, it will face an additional premium of 10% to 15%. This means that if customers deviate from production capacity planning, the final chip purchase cost may surge by as much as 25% compared to the current price. Considering that Apple is TSMC’s long-term core customer, the benchmark increase it ultimately endures is expected to be close to the lower range of 5%.
Against the background of multiple pressures on the supply chain, the technology industry is generally bearing the impact of rising prices brought about by the ongoing memory chip crisis. Previous analysis has predicted that the bill of materials cost of high-end models will increase significantly in the future, with the purchase price of NAND flash memory and DRAM memory rising significantly compared with the past, which has further intensified the cost pressure on end products. Although Apple has previously tried to buffer the impact of price fluctuations on some components, as upstream OEM and core component costs increase across the board, related cost pressures may eventually be passed on to end consumers, causing future iPhone and other products to face price increases.