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Update

What changed

Tom’s Hardware adds detail to the reported CoWoS price rise: chipmaking equipment lead times have stretched to as long as eight months, up from three to six months. The report says TSMC placed this year’s equipment orders at existing prices rather than negotiate discounts or extra features. Getting the tools on time may now matter more than getting a better deal.

Testing is another pinch point. The report says Blackwell takes three to four times longer to test than Nvidia’s previous-generation Hopper, while Rubin could require up to seven times longer. Longer test cycles keep equipment occupied, making it harder to expand output.

The report also says TSMC is considering 2027 wafer price increases of 5% to 10% on advanced process technologies, with 2nm and 3nm customers facing the steepest rises. TSMC has not confirmed the reported CoWoS increase.

Sources and evidence

• TSMC reportedly weighs 20% CoWoS price increase as Nvidia Blackwell and Rubin chips put pressure on packaging capacity — equipment lead times stretch to eight months – Tom's Hardwa: Tom’s Hardware reports that TSMC’s advanced-packaging squeeze includes equipment lead times of up to eight months and longer testing cycles for newer AI chips, alongside possible wafer-price increases in 2027.

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