AI Chip Shortage Will Last Years, TSMC Warns: Why Stable Pricing Still Means 2026 Increases - Tech Times

At its annual meeting on June 4, 2026, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) warned that the shortage of AI chips will persist for years. While TSMC pledged not to implement sudden, memory... Read original →

TSMC’s warning that AI chip shortages will stretch into 2027 reveals advanced packaging—especially CoWoS—as the new choke point in the semiconductor value chain. Technologically, this forces GPU makers like NVIDIA and AMD to accelerate HBM and chiplet integration, while pressuring Samsung and Intel to fast-track alternatives like I-Cube or Foveros. Geopolitically, although U.S. CHIPS Act funding supports TSMC’s Arizona expansion, export controls and talent restrictions inflate non-technical costs. In market dynamics, Broadcom leverages custom AI ASICs, Apple shifts aggressively to 3nm-plus packaging, and Intel uses IDM 2.0 to lock in capacity. Over the next 12–24 months, even with wafer fab expansions, packaging lag will sustain structural scarcity. Gradual price hikes reflect rational pricing amid chronic imbalance—not temporary volatility. The AI hardware arms race has pivoted from transistor density to system-level integration prowess.