AI Chip Concept Stocks Watch | SMIC (00981.HK) Pared Gains After Intraday Rally, Samsung Electronics Raises Prices for Some Advanced Contract Chip Manufacturing Services

NewTimeSpace (newtimespace.com) News, On August 20, 2026, the chip theme moved in a volatile trend, with SMIC (00981.HK) paring gains after an intraday rally. As of 13:28, the company quoted HKD 72.000, down 1.37%.

On the news front, Samsung Electronics has raised prices for some advanced contract chip manufacturing services for new orders, with the maximum increase reaching 15%, as demand for artificial intelligence (AI) chips is tightening capacity—a business long dominated by TSMC. In addition, SK Hynix is resuming construction of its No. 2 NAND flash plant in Dalian, China, planning to lift local total capacity by about 50%, with mass production expected in the first half of 2027.

Ping An Securities pointed out that SMIC and Hua Hong, the two major foundries, delivered impressive results in 2Q26, indicating that downstream AI and spillover demand drove robust demand. Omdia also raised its 2026 global semiconductor market growth forecast to 94.1%, and the semiconductor industry is showing a clear upcycle uptrend.

SMIC (00981.HK)Provides IC wafer foundry and related technical services. It is the largest pure-play wafer foundry in China by capacity and offers the broadest coverage of process nodes. Its mature and select advanced process lines address applications including smart terminals, IoT, and computing chips. Based on its periodic disclosures, wafer shipments, capacity utilization, and revenue are at historically high levels.

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