Bitmain says chip supplier TSMC will increase wafer prices immediately
Bitmain has confirmed that its chip supplier, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), is increasing the wafer prices amid a global chip shortage.
The firm said in a blog post on Thursday that preorders for its newest generation of bitcoin mining equipment the AntMiner S19j Pro sold out for the first half of 2022 shortly after the sales started in mid-August.
Bitmain said that it is preparing to sell its Q3 2022 batch starting in September. But the company added that according to a TSMC notification, quotes for all semiconductor wafers will increase by 20%, effective immediately.
Wafers are discs made of silicon used to build integrated circuits, which are key components of various electronic devices like bitcoin mining machines.
Taiwanese media reported on Wednesday that TSMC held an internal meeting last week regarding increasing the wafer prices for the first time in a decade as the global chip shortage has worsened since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report said that the price increase initially will take effect in Q1 2022 but it appears that it will take sooner than expected.
Bitmain didn't specify how this will affect the prices for its AntMiners customers moving forward but only said its supply chain team is committed to "continuing improving the AntMiner's efficiency."
