Qualcomm plans to increase the price of its processors for shipments made after 1 September 2026, according to a Bloomberg report that cites a letter sent by the company to its clients. The US-based semiconductor firm told customers it can no longer absorb the higher costs charged by its own suppliers, despite efforts to secure alternative component sources. The price adjustment is expected to be in the double-digit percentage range, though no official figure has been disclosed.

In its communication, Qualcomm pointed to persistent supply-chain constraints that have driven up the cost of memory and other components. The company’s chips are largely manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), which is itself navigating capacity pressures. Industry analysts cited by Bloomberg attribute the shortages to the massive demand for semiconductors generated by the build-out of artificial-intelligence data centres, a dynamic that has rippled through the consumer electronics supply chain.

The price increase will directly affect the cost base of Android handset makers, as Qualcomm dominates the market for premium smartphone processors. Its silicon powers flagship lines such as Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold and Flip series, as well as Microsoft CoPilot+ PCs and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Manufacturers will face a choice between raising retail prices or compressing their own margins, with the impact likely to be felt on devices launched from late 2026 into early 2027. The move follows a pattern of rising chipset costs: the Snapdragon 8 Elite was reported to have been priced around 30 per cent higher than its predecessor.

Qualcomm’s notification arrives as the company prepares to introduce a new generation of flagship processors later this year. While the firm recorded better-than-expected revenue for the second quarter of 2026, Bloomberg notes that its sales have declined this year because clients could not produce as many devices as planned due to component shortages. The letters to customers mark the formal start of a pricing cycle that will now be negotiated across the smartphone supply chain.