Core Viewpoint - Semiconductor industry is experiencing increased demand driven by mobile applications and AI, leading to price hikes in wafer foundry services, with SMIC implementing a 10% price increase on some capacities [1] Group 1: Price Increases and Demand - SMIC has raised prices on certain capacities by approximately 10%, with expectations for quick implementation [1] - The increase in demand for chips is attributed to the growth in mobile applications and AI, alongside rising raw material costs [1] - TSMC is consolidating its 8-inch capacity and plans to shut down some production lines by the end of 2027, which may lead to further price increases in wafer foundry services [1] Group 2: TSMC's Challenges - TSMC's mature process capacity utilization is impacted by the rise of China's mature processes, with its Kumamoto factory facing losses due to declining demand from major Japanese automakers [1] - TSMC's Kumamoto factory, which focuses on 28nm processes for automotive chips, has seen low capacity utilization and increasing losses [1] - TSMC plans to shift its future Kumamoto factory construction from 6nm to 2nm processes to cater to clients like NVIDIA and AMD for AI chips [1] Group 3: Capacity Utilization and Revenue Growth - SMIC's capacity utilization rose from 92.5% in Q2 to 95.8% in Q3, equating to a monthly capacity of one million 8-inch wafers [3] - Huahong Semiconductor also reported high utilization at 109.5% in Q3, shipping approximately 1.4 million 8-inch wafers [3] - Both companies experienced significant revenue growth in Q3, with SMIC reporting revenue of 17.162 billion yuan (up 6.9% quarter-on-quarter) and a net profit of 1.517 billion yuan (up 43.1% year-on-year) [3] - Huahong Semiconductor achieved a record high revenue of $635.2 million in Q3, reflecting a year-on-year growth of 20.7% [3] Group 4: Market Position and Future Outlook - By Q3 2025, SMIC is projected to hold a 5.1% market share, ranking third globally in wafer foundry sales, while Huahong Semiconductor is expected to rank sixth with a 2.6% market share [3] - SMIC's CEO noted that the industry is undergoing rapid changes, with ongoing inventory replenishment and increased output, despite a seasonal slowdown in Q4 [4] - The average selling price for SMIC's products increased by 3.8% quarter-on-quarter due to the complexity of products being shipped [4]