Group 1 - The core viewpoint of the article is that TSMC is accelerating its capacity expansion for 2nm process technology to solidify its market dominance in advanced semiconductor foundry services, with plans to increase monthly production capacity significantly by 2027 [1][2]. - TSMC plans to raise its 2nm wafer capacity to approximately 150,000 wafers per month by 2027, compared to its current capacity of about 40,000 wafers per month, with an interim target of 80,000 to 90,000 wafers per month next year [1]. - UBS forecasts that while the 2nm process will account for less than 10% of TSMC's sales next year, this figure is expected to grow to 15-20% by 2027 [1]. Group 2 - TSMC holds a dominant position in the advanced semiconductor market, with a market share of 70.2% in the foundry sector as of Q2 this year, producing chips for major companies like Apple, Qualcomm, Nvidia, Google, and AMD [2]. - TSMC is planning to build three new 2nm fabrication plants in Taiwan to meet the increasing demand for AI chips, with a total investment of approximately 900 billion New Taiwan Dollars (around 4.21 trillion Korean Won) [2]. - Competitors like Samsung and Intel are also ramping up production to catch up with TSMC, with Samsung expected to double its wafer capacity to 21,000 wafers next year and Intel launching its 18A (1.8nm) process at its Arizona facility [3].

Core Viewpoint - Samsung Electronics is facing rising costs for mobile application processors (AP) due to reliance on high-priced external APs from Qualcomm, making the performance of its own Exynos processors increasingly critical for future smartphone models [2][3]. Group 1: Cost and Procurement - Samsung's mobile AP procurement costs increased by 29.2% in the first half of the year, reaching 7.7899 trillion KRW compared to 6.0275 trillion KRW in the same period last year [2]. - The proportion of mobile APs in the total raw material procurement of the Device Experience (DX) department rose from 17.1% to 19.9% [2]. - The high-end Galaxy S25 series and Galaxy Z Fold 7 smartphones are equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors, which are more expensive than Exynos [2]. Group 2: Future Developments - Samsung is developing the next-generation Exynos 2600 using advanced 2nm process technology, which is expected to improve performance and stability [3]. - The evaluation of Exynos 2600 is ongoing, with indications that it may be used in the upcoming Galaxy S26 series [3][4]. - Analysts suggest that the application of Exynos 2600 in flagship models could enhance profitability and competitiveness compared to the current year [4]. Group 3: Market Dynamics - Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is projected to be 25% to 30% more expensive than its predecessor, with prices expected to range from $190 to $200 [4]. - Qualcomm has requested a price increase of $15 per unit for its APs supplied to Samsung for the next year, raising the cost to approximately $210 per device for Samsung's Galaxy series [4]. - The majority of smartphone components, aside from APs and memory, have not seen significant specification changes in recent years, prompting manufacturers like Samsung and Xiaomi to invest more in self-developed chips [5].