On July 13, Taiwan's Economic Daily News reported that, hot on the heels of price increases for advanced processes, TSMC is set to raise the prices of its wafer foundry services for mature processes from January next year onwards. Nevertheless, in a bid to scale up their operations, IC design companies remain committed to securing more wafer foundry capacity, a move that will surpass the capacity support they have received this year. IC design firms disclosed that in the first half of this year, the cost of IC production soared, owing to price hikes for mature processes at packaging and testing companies, as well as at wafer foundries other than TSMC. This prompted them to engage in negotiations with their customers regarding product price increases. Should TSMC confirm its plans to increase prices for mature processes next year, IC design firms will once again find themselves in a position where they need to negotiate price adjustments with their customers. Moreover, customers may, in turn, pass on these additional costs to their own clients, potentially triggering a chain reaction.