Designers Notebook: Implementing Strategic Planning Principles for PCB Design
Flexible Thinking: Beyond DFM—PCB Design and Manufacturing as a Cooperative Effort
According to TrendForce’s latest MLCC industry survey, robust AI demand drove June 2026 shipments from the top three Japanese and Korean suppliers—Murata, Samsung Electro-Mechanics (SEMCO), and Taiyo Yuden—to a five-year monthly high. Concurrently, a sustained spillover of consumer-grade MLCC orders is benefiting distribution channels and suppliers in Taiwan and mainland China, thereby driving up their quotes.
Several key factors are currently shaping market demand. Geopolitical tensions between the US and Iran have reignited concerns over oil prices and inflation, offsetting the optimism generated by a cooling US CPI in June. In the consumer electronics sector, Apple’s recent price hikes for MacBooks and iPads indicate that electronics brands are preemptively adjusting for anticipated cost pressures. As a result, the traditional third-quarter busy season may fail to fully materialize, keeping demand for consumer-grade MLCCs sluggish.
In stark contrast, AI applications remain a bright spot for growth despite broader market headwinds. CSPs are maintaining strong procurement momentum for in-house ASIC platforms, such as Google’s TPU and AWS’s Trainium. This steady demand for high-capacitance, low-voltage, and small-sized MLCCs drove the impressive June shipments of major Japanese and Korean suppliers. According to TrendForce, single-month shipments surged to 140 billion pieces for Murata, 98 billion pieces for SEMCO, and 40 billion pieces for Taiyo Yuden, with this growth momentum continuing into July.
As Japanese and Korean suppliers accelerate the shift of their production capacity from consumer-grade X5R to high-end X6S and X7R specifications for AI applications, available production capacity for mid-to-high capacitance consumer-grade MLCCs (from 1µF to 22µF) is being severely squeezed.
Inventory levels for mainstream MLCCs have generally fallen below 30 days. This capacity crowding-out effect, which is being driven by the AI boom, has triggered a surge in rush orders from channels, agents, and tier-2/3 clients, further amplifying the order spillover. Consequently, suppliers based in Taiwan and Mainland China are experiencing significantly improved order visibility and rising quotes.
Furthermore, agents who proactively stockpiled inventory are seizing the opportunity to raise prices by an average of 20-25%, while spot market rates have skyrocketed to two to three times their original levels. Overall, the consumer-grade MLCC market is exhibiting a structural mismatch characterized by sluggish end-market demand coupled with strong channel pricing.
