[News] PSMC Raises DRAM and NAND Prices in Mar–Apr; Micron and Intel EMIB Programs Reported to Advance
While PSMC swung back to profit in Q1 amid surging memory demand, the Taiwanese chipmaker has also been lifting prices across multiple product lines. Citing company president Martin Chu, Liberty Times reports that PSMC sharply raised DRAM foundry pricing in March, while NAND flash wafer start prices were also significantly increased in April.
Chu noted that the revenue impact for DRAM foundry prices will only start to materialize from June, reflecting the wafer pricing cycle. Together with the NAND flash wafer price increases the memory price hikes are set to begin supporting PSMC’s results in Q2, according to Liberty Times.
Against this backdrop, Liberty Times, citing Chu, further reports that AI hyperscalers including Microsoft and Google have recently signed three-year long-term supply agreements with major DRAM vendors. This is expected to keep the memory market in a structural supply deficit through the second half of 2026, Chu said.
Meanwhile, Chu added that as major Korean suppliers continue to retreat from the SLC NAND flash segment, demand from networking, industrial, and consumer electronics has remained resilient. The resulting supply tightening has thus driven a notable uptick in both contract and spot SLC NAND prices, as per the report.
Beyond SLC, PSMC is working closely with customers to develop 24nm MLC, with process development targeted for completion by year-end and customer tape-outs expected in the first half of 2027, Liberty Times adds.
Logic Foundry Prices Extend Uptrend on Tight Supply
Notably, Liberty Times, citing Chu, reports that PSMC’s 8-inch foundry prices have been rising by an average of around 10% month over month since March. For 12-inch, the report says that after the sale of the Tongluo P5 fab to Micron, equipment has been gradually shut down and moved back to Hsinchu.
As a result, supply of 12-inch DDIC and CIS wafers has turned tight. Foundry prices have been on an upward path since January, with both segments posting notable double-digit increases, the report notes.
However, Liberty Times, citing Chu, also notesthat while wafer starts for both 8-inch and 12-inch logic foundry lines are expected to exceed capacity over the next few quarters, price increases in the logic segment are likely to remain far more moderate than the sharp hikes seen in memory. According to Commercial Times, for 1Q, PSMC’s 12-inch wafer output was ~415,000 units and utilization climbed from 85% to 88%, near 90% levels.
Micron Collaboration Roadmap Takes Shape
Meanwhile, PSMC also outlined clearer timelines for its Micron collaboration. Central News Agency reports that PSMC’s jointly developed 1P process has entered the development stage, with new equipment installation slated for Q1 2027. Pilot production is targeted for 1H28, followed by mass production in 2H28.
Meanwhile, the co-developed PWF line (HBM backend wafer processing) with Micron is expected to enter mass production in Q4 2027, the report adds.
EMIB Becomes Next Growth Driver in 3D AI Foundry
Notably, JOV also highlights PSMC’s “3D AI Foundry” as a new growth driver: While the segment contributed just around 2% of revenue in 2025, interposer and IPD (Integrated Passive Device) are expected to ramp meaningfully in 2026. From 2027 onward, PWF and wafer-on-wafer (WoW) platforms are also set to scale, as per the report.
The report also notes that PSMC’s 12-inch high-density capacitor IPD has completed customer qualification and will begin ramp-up in Q2 2026. The product is expected to be adopted in Intel’s EMIB advanced packaging platform, with demand approaching nearly 10,000 wafers per month from 2H27, according to PSMC.
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(Photo credit: I Domain Industrial)
