[Edaily Reporter JAEMIN SONG ] As the shortage of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) for artificial intelligence (AI) servers worsens, major manufacturers are beginning to raise prices in earnest. SamsungElectroMechanics has decided to raise the price of MLCCs supplied to its Chinese sales partners by 30%, and Japan’s Taiyo Yuden has also announced additional price increases. With the shortage—which began with high-specification products for AI servers—spreading to general-purpose products, SamsungElectroMechanics is expected to see an increase in both its pricing power and profitability.

According to industry sources on the 29th, SamsungElectroMechanics recently notified its sales partners of its plan to raise MLCC prices. The increase applies to all MLCC products supplied through its Shenzhen subsidiary in China, with prices set to rise by 30% starting with shipments on or after the 1st of next month.

In its notice, SamsungElectroMechanics explained, “Due to the recent structural increase in demand in the global electronics industry, the burden on the supply chain has exceeded manageable levels.” The company stated that while it has invested in improving production efficiency and expanding production lines, a price adjustment is unavoidable to maintain product quality and a stable supply.

Japanese companies have also recently moved to raise prices. Taiyo Yuden, the world’s third-largest MLCC manufacturer, has asked its customers to accept an additional price increase for MLCCs starting with shipments on September 1. The company cited that, despite requesting a price revision last month, it was unable to fully absorb the rise in raw material costs. In particular, the company stated that even with a price adjustment, it would be difficult to guarantee the delivery schedules requested by customers. Murata, the industry leader, is also reported to have raised prices last April for certain high-value-added MLCCs used in AI servers and automotive electronics.

The price hikes are driven by expanding investment in AI data centers. As big tech companies—such as Google with its Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) with its Trainium—increase their adoption of proprietary AI accelerators, orders for high-capacity, low-voltage, and ultra-compact MLCCs are surging. Products for AI servers are at least three times more expensive than those for mobile devices and are installed in much larger quantities.

According to market research firm TrendForce, last month’s MLCC shipments reached their highest monthly levels in the past five years, with Murata shipping 140 billion units, SamsungElectroMechanics 98 billion, and Taiyo Yuden 40 billion. When shipments are set at 100, new order volumes stood at 131 for SamsungElectroMechanics, 130 for Murata, and 125 for Taiyo Yuden. This means that new orders exceeded production volumes by up to 31%.

TrendForce explained, “With inventories of major MLCC products falling below 30 days’ supply, distributors who proactively secured inventory are raising prices by an average of 20–25%,” adding, “In some spot markets, products are even being traded at two to three times the original price.”

This supplier-dominated market is expected to have a positive impact on SamsungElectroMechanics’ earnings. Last month and this month, SamsungElectroMechanics secured supply contracts for MLCCs used in AI servers from global Big Tech companies worth 453.99 billion won and 295.12 billion won, respectively. The disclosed value of new orders alone totals 749.11 billion won, all of which is for delivery in 2027.

SamsungElectroMechanics will announce its second-quarter earnings on the 30th. According to financial information provider FnGuide Inc., the market consensus forecasts revenue of 3.3162 trillion won and operating profit of 406 billion won, representing year-over-year increases of 19.1% and 90.6%, respectively. Demand for high-value-added components for AI servers, such as MLCCs and flip-chip ball grid arrays (FC-BGA), is expected to drive these results, while the effects of recent price increases are projected to be fully reflected starting in the second half of the year.