HK Stock Market Move | HUA HONG SEMI (01347) rose more than 5% in early trading with wafer foundries announcing price hikes TSMC sets high AI market outlook

HUA HONG SEMI (01347) rose more than 5% in morning trading, up 5.3% to HK$95.3 as of press time, with a turnover of HK$1.08 billion. On the news front, it was reported that wafer foundry United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) recently issued a price increase notice to its customers, forecasting a price adjustment for wafers in the second half of 2026. Previously, major wafer foundry Nexchip Semiconductor Corporation had issued a "wafer foundry service product price adjustment notice" to customers on March 12, announcing a 10% increase in wafer prices starting from June. In addition, senior executives at TSMC announced at an investor conference that the company's capital expenditure is expected to reach the top end of the range of $52 billion to $56 billion in 2026. When asked about the sources of confidence supporting this capital expenditure, TSMC Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei responded, "The answer is simple: demand is extremely strong, especially in high-performance computing and AI applications. We are doing our best to accelerate and advance equipment procurement, but supply remains tight, and demand continues to grow. That's why our capital expenditures are pointing to the upper end of the range."