Does anyone know the prices that Arm charges for its licenses are set? They occupy such a strangely powerful position in the global chip landscape. Similarly, how does TSMC set their prices? There don't seem to be any real alternatives for Apple or AMD to switch it, it seems like they could really squeeze them if they wanted to.
> The only rival that had the now-retired founder looking over his shoulder was Samsung. In 2016, Samsung lost orders for a new iPhone and TSMC ended up as the dominant Apple supplier. The South Korean company then resorted to sharp price-cutting, taking advantage of its excess capacity to help Samsung win new customers, including Qualcomm. Some insiders at TSMC suggested they follow suit. However, Chang brushed aside the advice. In the end, TSMC came out unscarred, at least on the surface. This is because it was able to profit from a sharp increase in demand from emerging companies, including Bitmain Technology Holding -- a major Chinese supplier of equipment for cryptocurrencies -- and Huawei. U.S. customers, including Qualcomm and Nvidia, continued to place the majority of their orders with TSMC. Hence, Samsung failed to break TSMC's grip on the industry.