2026 MLCC Market Trends - From 50Kpcs to 440kpcs AI Computing Power Is Eating Up High-End MLCC Capaci

Recently, there's been a lot of talk in the market about MLCC price increases.

 

AI server demand is exploding, Traditional servers use 50,000 MLCCs each. Latest AI racks like NVIDIA GB300 now require 440,000 MLCCs — nearly 9 times higher. Driven by the demand for AI computing power, the utilization rates of major Japanese and Korean MLCC manufacturers have been pushed above 90%. They're basically on the verge of raising prices at any moment. Spot prices from Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Murata, and domestic distributors have already gone up by 20%. Overall channel inventory is less than one month, meaning the market has moved from reasonable stock levels to a shortage.

 

There are two main triggers for this price hike. First, the typhoon last December. Factories in Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines were affected. Taiyo Yuden's Malaysian plant was shut down for a month. Murata and Samsung Electro-Mechanics also saw damage to their Philippine facilities. The Philippine operations account for about 15% and 25% of their respective total production. As a result, spot prices for high-capacitance products rose by 10% to 15%, and the miniaturized 01005 specifications also followed with a 10% increase.

 

The second trigger was during the Chinese New Year holiday in January and February this year. China strengthened its controls on rare earth exports to Japan. High-end MLCCs need rare earth materials. With these tighter controls, Murata and Taiyo Yuden's high-capacitance, high-voltage, and high-reliability products were directly impacted. The spot market started facing shortages, pushing prices up another 15% to 20%. Samsung Electro-Mechanics usually has a price strategy of not raising or lowering prices much, but this time they're under pressure and will likely have to follow suit.

UF capacitors, produce PIN to PIN alternative to replace tier-1 brands at better price, lead time around 2 weeks for majority parts. If you are seeking a reliable Chinese manufacturer to mitigate price hikes from major brands, please send your RFQ for interested parts to: connie@ufcapacitors.com.

 

UF capacitors	Vishay	TDK/Epcos	Murata	AVX	Kemet
	VJ0201 Series VJ0402 Series VJ0603 Series VJ0805 Series	C1005 Series C1608 Series C2012 Series C3216 Series C3225 Series C4532 Series C5750 Series	GRM Series	0603 Series 0805 Series 1206 Series 1210 Series	C0201 Series C0402 Series C0603 Series