Holy Stone Enterprise says AI power surge will deepen global MLCC shortages

The AI compute arms race is triggering a structural shortage of MLCCs—the 'rice of electronics.' Technically, GPU clusters and liquid-cooled servers demand high-capacitance, high-voltage MLCCs, pushing dielectric formulations from X7R toward C0G and raising purity requirements for ceramic powders—disrupting downstream packaging. Compliance risks intensify: U.S. CHIPS Act restrictions and EU Critical Raw Materials Act scrutiny expose Japanese, Korean, and Taiwan, China-based suppliers to export controls. Murata and Samsung Electro-Mechanics are relocating capacity westward, while TDK deepens ties with U.S. IDMs to sidestep geopolitical friction. Over the next 18 months, MLCCs will shift from cost items to strategic assets. Second-tier players may infiltrate HPC supply chains, but material formulation and sintering yield remain formidable barriers. Shortages won’t ease before 2027—and may instead accelerate integrated domestic ecosystems in China.