ASML to Uniformly Hike Prices of Lithography Machine Components for Samsung and SK Hynix by 10%, As AI Production Expansion Boom Drives Up Equipment Costs.

According to South Korean media reports, ASML has notified Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix that it will implement a uniform 10% price increase on EUV and DUV lithography machine components for the South Korean market. The adjustment covers regularly replaced consumable parts and core components required for fault repairs, including optical systems, light sources, and precision drive units. After consultations between the procurement departments of both sides, the two memory chip giants have accepted the price hike plan, with the adjustment set to take effect in January next year. This uniform across-the-board price increase is relatively rare; ASML previously typically adjusted prices only individually for components facing rising raw material costs or tight supply of specific materials. Meanwhile, the company is in negotiations with key clients over price hikes for new equipment. According to earlier reports, equipment manufacturers including Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron have also raised product prices, and the price hike trend in the semiconductor equipment sector is spreading. AI data center investment is driving memory chip and foundry players to expand production capacity, leading to a concentrated surge in demand for equipment and components. With suppliers taking time to ramp up production, coupled with inflation and raw material cost pressures, bargaining power in the equipment supply chain is shifting toward suppliers. The report noted that TSMC had previously opposed ASML’s equipment price hikes, indicating that different clients still have varying levels of acceptance of rising costs.