Ceramic Capacitor Prices Surge 30% Amid AI Boom

Major Japanese and South Korean manufacturers of electronic components are increasing prices for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) by an average of 30% amid colossal demand, according to Trendforce. Even if buyers agree to new terms, suppliers will find it difficult to ship ordered products on time. The price hike was reported by South Korea's Chosun Ilbo, noting that leading suppliers from Japan and South Korea have officially notified distributors and channel partners of price adjustments across nearly their entire MLCC range. This is at least the second round of increases since early 2026: Murata adjusted prices in late March 2026 by 15-35%, and Taiyo Yuden in April 2026 by 6-13%. Samsung Electro-Mechanics raised prices by 30% from August 1, 2026, across all categories. Taiyo Yuden cited rising costs for raw materials like barium titanate, nickel, and rare earth metals, partly due to the US-China trade war, with new prices effective September 1, 2026. Taiwanese manufacturers Walsin Technology and Yageo also increased prices in July 2026, with Yageo raising prices by about 50% and Walsin by 5-15%. On China's spot market in Huaqiangbei, Shenzhen, prices for common small-capacitance MLCCs (sizes 0402 and 0603) fluctuate sharply, with daily reviews and jumps at least once every two weeks, especially for AI server components. Trendforce estimates that significantly increasing MLCC production will take 1.5 to 2 years, so leading players like Murata, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Taiyo Yuden are prioritizing high-quality, expensive components for AI accelerators, serving consumer and industrial electronics vendors on a residual basis. Modern AI accelerator designs often change late in development, increasing MLCC usage. For example, AMD switched to ceramic capacitors for its MI450 accelerator, increasing the number of X6S 0402 2.5V 47µF MLCCs by 632%, from 1440 to 10,544 units.