The Zhitong Finance App learned that according to TrendForce Jibang Consulting's latest MLCC industry research, the major Korean manufacturer SEMCO (Samsung Electric) recently took the lead in raising prices for OEM and ODM customers for the fourth quarter of 2026, which means that the MLCC industry has officially entered an upward pattern.
TrendForce Jibang Consulting estimates that SEMCO will increase the price of consumer-grade X5R products by an average of 25% to 30% for OEM and ODM customers, thereby curbing the desire to place orders and freeing up production capacity to expand high-end production lines. High-end X6S products used in AI servers are priced according to customer negotiations, and the average increase will range from 10% to 20%. Major Japanese manufacturers Murata (Murata), Taiyo Yuden (Taiyo Yuden), and Kyocera (Kyocera) are currently holding a wait-and-see attitude and prices are flat. Whether to follow up on price adjustments will be the key to watching whether the gains can expand.
Benefiting from the spillover effects of consumer-grade medium- and high-capacity orders, prices from other manufacturers continued to rise in the fourth quarter. The average increase is estimated to reach 10% to 20%, with consumer-grade medium and high capacity products as the main target for price increases. The capacity utilization rate of manufacturers has increased simultaneously, and some suppliers have reached close to 90%. Furthermore, as demand for AI data centers continues to be strong, the supply gap for optical communication modules widens, and as a result, MLCC demand is tight, and related manufacturers are also actively seeking support. Comparatively speaking, the outlook for the traditional ICT and automotive markets is conservative, and growth momentum in major economies is slowing down and terminal consumer confidence is under pressure. The traditional market is likely to show a “poor peak season” in the second half of the year.
TrendForce Jibang Consulting said that the MLCC industry has officially entered a cycle of price increases as consumer-grade medium- and high-volume orders spill over to other manufacturers, the utilization rate rises, and SEMCO raises prices. Whether Japanese factories such as Murata and Taiyo Yuden will follow suit is an important indicator for observing the next wave of increases. It is estimated that the fourth quarter will continue to expand the MLCC supply and demand gap and rise in prices.