Core Insights - The rise of China's wafer foundries is addressing the demand for 8-inch chips as global giants shift focus to 12-inch wafers and AI-related chip needs increase [1][6] - A structural reversal in the 8-inch wafer market is occurring due to a combination of reduced capacity from major players and strong demand for power management chips driven by AI [4][5] Group 1: Market Dynamics - The global supply and demand for 8-inch wafers is entering a state of imbalance, with a projected 2.4% decline in total global 8-inch foundry capacity by 2026 due to strategic capacity reductions by TSMC and Samsung [4][6] - The average capacity utilization rate in the industry is expected to rise to 90% by Q4 2025, reflecting a year-on-year increase of approximately 7 percentage points, driven by AI applications and recovery in automotive and industrial control sectors [4][6] Group 2: Chinese Foundries' Position - Chinese wafer foundries are positioned to fill the global capacity vacuum left by TSMC and Samsung, with companies like SMIC and Hua Hong Semiconductor showing strong performance in 8-inch production [6][7] - SMIC's monthly production capacity for logic chips (equivalent to 8-inch) has reached a historic high of 1.023 million wafers, with a capacity utilization rate of 95.8% as of Q3 2025 [7] - Hua Hong Semiconductor's 8-inch production lines are nearing full capacity, benefiting from orders redirected from international power semiconductor giants [7] Group 3: Pricing Trends - Due to the surge in demand, Chinese wafer foundries have raised prices for 8-inch chip processes by approximately 10%, with some orders seeing increases of up to 20% [8][9] - The price increase trend is expected to continue into 2026, as the supply-demand tightness persists [9] Group 4: Long-term Outlook - Despite the current boom in 8-inch wafer production, the long-term trend indicates a migration of power management and display driver chips towards 12-inch nodes, necessitating Chinese manufacturers to accelerate their 12-inch specialty process development [9] - The global semiconductor manufacturing sector anticipates an increase in 12-inch wafer production capacity to a historical high of 9.6 million wafers per month by 2026, driven by sustained strong demand [9]