The passive component price increase wave! The world's largest MLCC giant follows suit: announces price increase in April

Global passive component leader Murata Manufacturing announced price increases for multiple product lines. According to reports from Taiwanese media citing customer notifications, Japan's Murata has officially announced price adjustments for four categories of products, including multilayer chip ferrite beads, multilayer ferrite power inductors, multilayer RF inductors, and multilayer common mode chokes, effective April 1, 2026. Murata listed the soaring silver prices as a core reason. Silver, as a key raw material for the aforementioned passive components, has seen its demand rapidly expand in recent years due to the increase in photovoltaic installations, the penetration rate of electric vehicles, and accelerated investments in AI infrastructure, leading to continuously rising prices and significant pressure on manufacturers' cost structures. Previously, domestic and foreign manufacturers such as Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Yageo, Walsin Technology, Fenghua Advanced Technology, and Sanhua Group have all issued price increase notifications for passive components like MLCCs. Samsung Electro-Mechanics will also initiate its first round of price increases in April. This indicates that the two major global MLCC suppliers are forming a synergy in their pricing strategies, bringing direct cost pressure to downstream purchasers. Tight supply and demand support the price increase logic, with double-digit growth expected in shipments in the second quarter This price increase is not merely a cost pass-through but is also supported by the fundamentals of supply and demand. According to TrendForce analysis, driven by the large-scale deployment of NVIDIA's GB200/300 servers and the proactive promotion of ASIC self-research by major cloud service providers like AWS and Google, the demand for high-end MLCCs remains strong. Currently, the capacity utilization rates of Murata, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Taiyo Yuden are all above 80%, with Murata particularly advantaged due to its mastery of advanced packaging key materials. Murata's high-end MLCC orders are expected to grow by 20% to 25% quarter-on-quarter in the first quarter of 2026, with production lines operating at full capacity. The Elec cited industry observers predicting that if Murata formally pushes for price increases, manufacturers in Taiwan and mainland China, as well as Samsung Electro-Mechanics, will follow suit. The agency also expects that driven by strong demand, the MLCC industry's shipment volume is likely to achieve double-digit quarter-on-quarter growth in the second quarter. Surge in AI server usage supports long-term prosperity The structural increase in MLCC demand is closely related to the rapid expansion of AI computing infrastructure. Data cited by The Elec shows that a typical smartphone uses over 1,000 MLCCs, while the usage on AI server motherboards is ten to twenty times that of smartphones, and as the next generation of AI servers continues to evolve, this number is expected to rise further. This change in demand structure means that the growth focus of the MLCC market is gradually shifting from consumer electronics to high-margin data centers and industrial applications, providing a more solid foundation for price increases by leading manufacturers like Murata. Manufacturers from Taiwan, such as Yageo and Walsin Technology, are expected to benefit from the overall upward shift in price levels and expand their market share by leveraging customer order transfers Risk Warning and Disclaimer The market carries risks, and investment should be approached with caution. This article does not constitute personal investment advice and does not take into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation, or needs of individual users. Users should consider whether any opinions, views, or conclusions in this article align with their specific circumstances. Investment based on this is at one's own risk