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Chip Price Calculator
Wafer cost, yield modeling, packaging economics, and margin analysis across process nodes from 180nm to 2nm.
HBM Market Analysis
HBM market dynamics — accelerator specs, vendor market share, spot pricing, supply chain signals, and revenue forecasts.
Fab Explorer
Explore 64 semiconductor fabs from TSMC, Samsung, Intel, GlobalFoundries, SMIC, UMC, and more. Filter by node, country, and capacity.
Market Data
Historical time series for wafer pricing, HBM/DRAM costs, fab utilization, CoWoS capacity, and NRE trends — 328 sourced data points across 16 datasets.
Cost Bridge Chart
Side-by-side manufacturing cost comparison across logic die, HBM memory, packaging, and assembly for 13 AI accelerators.
Packaging Model
Compare CoWoS-S, CoWoS-L, EMIB, SoIC, and flip-chip architectures with HBM stack cost analysis.
Supply Chain Explorer
Interactive sunburst visualization of semiconductor supply chain chokepoints — from ASML to Zeiss optics to Japanese photoresist monopolies.
Price / Performance Frontier
Compare AI accelerators on cost, throughput, training time, and TCO — H100, B200, MI300X, TPU v5p, and more.
Allocation Dashboard
Track foundry allocation status, CoWoS packaging availability, and HBM supply signals across 14 process nodes from TSMC, Samsung, Intel, and more.
Tapeout Decision Workspace
Guided 5-step workflow for fabless teams evaluating tapeout decisions — chip definition, foundry selection, cost modeling, competitive benchmarking, and go/no-go summary.
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Latest Analysis & Market Intelligence
Deep-dive reports and daily AI-detected supply-chain signals — each sourced and dated. Public sources only.
TSMC CoWoS Yield Confirmed at 98-99% in HVM; Nvidia Weighs 8-Stack HBM4E Fallback for Rubin Ultra
TSMC disclosed at the 2026 OCP APAC Summit that its 5.5x reticle CoWoS packaging is sustaining yields of 98-99% across multiple AI customer products already in high-volume manufacturing, with a roadmap to 14x reticle size by 2029 — a landmark yield validation that materially de-risks CoWoS supply for H200/B100-class accelerators. Concurrently, Korean press reports that Nvidia is evaluating a downgrade from 12-stack HBM4E to 8-stack HBM4E for its next-generation Rubin Ultra accelerator, citing Samsung and SK Hynix high-stack yield constraints — a signal that HBM stacking yield remains a live bottleneck gating the next product cycle.
CoWoS yield: 98-99% confirmed in HVM (positive); HBM4E 12-stack yield risk flagged — potential stack-count reduction from 12 to 8 layers (est. HBM capacity-per-die reduction of ~33% if downgrade confirmed); TSMC 2026 CapEx raised to $60-64B record (capacity positive).
Samsung HBM4 Hits 80% 'Golden Yield' — Four Months Ahead of Schedule, Supply Tightness Set to Ease
Samsung Electronics' HBM4 yield rate has reached approximately 80% — the industry-standard 'golden yield' threshold for mass-production maturity — roughly four months ahead of original internal targets, having started at below 60% at the February 2026 production launch. Corroborating Korean-language reporting (Seoul Economy, Nate News) and English-language trade coverage (Dataconomy, BigGo Finance) confirm the milestone, with Samsung now accelerating HBM4E ramp targeting a 70% yield before a planned H1 2027 launch; industry sources also note SK Hynix's HBM4 yield has independently reached the 80% band, meaning both leading suppliers have simultaneously achieved mass-production maturity on the sixth-generation node.
Yield improvement: Samsung HBM4 from <60% (Feb 2026 launch) to ~80% (Aug 2026) — approx. +20 pp in ~6 months; SK Hynix HBM4 yield also reported at ~80%; HBM4E target set at 70% pre-launch (H1 2027). 2027 HBM supply for all three vendors reported as fully booked.
SK Hynix 54 Trillion Won CapEx Locked In; Nvidia Rubin Ultra Downgrading HBM Stack Amid Structural Supply Crunch
SK Hynix has formally committed 54 trillion won (~$39B USD) to new fabs at Yongin Y2 and Cheongju M17, with first meaningful HBM production not expected until 2027–2029 after 12–18 month yield ramp periods — offering no near-term supply relief. Concurrently, Nvidia is actively testing at least three downgraded HBM configurations for its next-generation Rubin Ultra GPU — including a reduction from the planned 16-stack HBM4E to 12-stack and potentially 8-stack HBM4/HBM4E variants — a direct product-specification response to confirmed HBM supply constraints, with AMD's MI400 reportedly following a parallel dual-stack strategy.
CapEx: +54 trillion KRW (~$39B) across Y2 and M17 fabs; HBM capacity additions: Y1 initial production February 2027, M17 December 2028, Y2 June 2029 (plus 12–18 months yield ramp each); Contract DRAM prices: +90–95% QoQ in Q1 2026 (largest single-quarter spike on record per TechTimes); Nvidia Rubin Ultra HBM stack: downgraded from 16-stack HBM4E to 12-stack or 8-stack variants under evaluation; Lam Research advanced packaging revenue outlook raised from >40% to >70% YoY growth in current fiscal year.
AMD Zen 6 Low-Power Cores: Architectural Stakes, Process Economics, and Intel's Narrowing Window
AMD's Zen 6 architecture introduces a three-tier core hierarchy — Performance, Efficiency, and a new LP class — that challenges Intel's E-core strategy on silicon economics and scheduler performance. This analysis examines the competitive, process, and procurement implications for corporate decision-makers.
AMD's Zen 6 LP core introduction signals a structural shift in heterogeneous CPU design philosophy, moving beyond the dual-tier P/E model Intel popularized. The node economics at TSMC N3/N4 create a cost pressure that favors AMD's chiplet disaggregation strategy, while Intel's monolithic Nova Lake architecture faces a widening cost-per-core gap that is difficult to close without a full foundry mix shift.
Meta's Vistara and the Hyperscaler Memory Arbitrage Playbook: How CXL 2.0 Turns DDR4 Retirement Into a Capex Lever
Meta's custom Vistara ASIC deploys CXL 2.0 to reuse DDR4 memory at scale, cutting AI inference server counts and out-of-memory failures. We examine the cost architecture, HBM capex deferral logic, and what this signals for hyperscaler custom silicon strategy.
Meta's Vistara chip represents a structurally different approach to AI infrastructure cost optimization — not through next-generation silicon procurement, but through systematic reuse of legacy DDR4 inventory via a purpose-built CXL 2.0 bridge ASIC. Deployed across millions of servers, the technology reduces AI inference server counts by up to 25% for disaggregated workloads and cuts out-of-memory job failures by 33%, compressing both capex and operational waste. For procurement teams and infrastructure strategists, Vistara is a case study in hyperscaler cost arbitrage: extracting economic value from stranded assets rather than defaulting to expensive HBM-based capacity additions.
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Semiconductor Cost Modeling Platform
Chip Cost Calculator
Model chip manufacturing costs across process nodes from 28nm to 2nm. Calculate GDPW, net die yield, wafer costs, CoWoS packaging, HBM memory pricing, and total chip cost with interactive parameter adjustments. Free alternative to paid die calculators.
Supply Chain Intelligence
Explore 64 semiconductor fabs worldwide with capacity data, track HBM market dynamics with live spot pricing and vendor market share, and visualize supply chain chokepoints from ASML lithography to Japanese photoresist monopolies.
Market Analysis
30+ deep-dive reports covering TSMC wafer pricing, NVIDIA GPU economics, HBM memory shortages, export controls, and AI chip demand trends. Data-driven analysis with interactive cost models and structured data via our free API.
Semiconductor Manufacturing FAQ
- How much does it cost to make a semiconductor chip?
- Semiconductor manufacturing costs vary by process node: mature 28nm costs ~$3,000 per wafer, advanced 5nm costs ~$18,500, and cutting-edge 3nm costs ~$19,500. Per-chip cost depends on die size and yield — for example, an NVIDIA H100 (814mm² at TSMC 4N) costs approximately $3,320 to manufacture, while the B200 costs approximately $6,400.
- How many chips can you get from one wafer?
- The number of chips per wafer (Gross Dies Per Wafer or GDPW) depends on die size and wafer diameter. On a standard 300mm wafer: a small chip (50mm²) yields ~1,250 gross dies, a medium chip (200mm²) yields ~300, and a large chip like NVIDIA's H100 (814mm²) yields approximately 74 gross dies before yield loss.
- What is the most expensive chip to manufacture?
- As of 2026, the most expensive chips to manufacture are large AI accelerators. NVIDIA's B200 (Blackwell) at TSMC 4NP has an estimated manufacturing cost of ~$6,400, with HBM memory ($2,900) being the largest cost component. AMD's MI300X, using N5/N6 chiplets with advanced packaging, costs approximately $5,300 to manufacture.
- How many semiconductor fabs are there in the world?
- Silicon Analysts tracks 64 semiconductor fabrication facilities across 10 countries, operated by 16 companies including TSMC, Samsung, Intel, GlobalFoundries, UMC, and SMIC. New fabs are currently under construction or announced globally, including TSMC Arizona, JASM Kumamoto, and Intel Ohio.
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