Samsung Foundry sells out 4nm capacity through 2027 as AI demand rewrites the semiconductor order book

Scarcity pricing is back in the chip business. Samsung Foundry has sold out its 4nm production capacity through 2026 and has bookings running deep into 2027, driven almost entirely by customers building AI infrastructure, high-performance computing hardware, and next-generation automotive silicon. The company is also raising prices, approximately 15% on both its 4nm and 5nm processes for new customers. What is actually happening on the factory floor The 4nm node is fully subscribed. Existing customers have locked up capacity, and new customers are being told to wait, or pay the premium. To handle overflow demand, Samsung is expanding sales of its 5nm process. Samsung also plans to repurpose its established 4nm lines for a broader product mix, including logic processing units and high-bandwidth memory base dies. HBM base dies are a critical component in AI accelerator stacks, the kind used in data centers running large language models. A production ramp for 4nm is targeted for the second half of 2026. AI, cars, and the customers Samsung is courting Samsung is in active discussions with Chinese automakers, including BYD, about supplying 4nm and 2nm chips for autonomous driving system...