In June 2026, shipments of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) from Japanese and Korean manufacturers reached a five-year high, driven by strong demand for AI technologies. Notably, Murata shipped 140 billion units, Samsung Electro-Mechanics 98 billion, and Taiyo Yuden 40 billion. This surge is attributed to cloud providers like Google and Amazon maintaining high procurement levels for in-house AI accelerators that require specialized MLCCs. As production capacity shifts away from consumer-grade components to meet the needs of these advanced technologies, inventories of mainstream MLCCs have fallen below 30 days, leading to rush orders and a notable increase in prices by 20% to 25% from distributors who had stocked up earlier.
Google: Google develops custom AI accelerators such as its Tensor Processing Units for internal data center and cloud infrastructure needs. Google’s TPU platforms are identified in the news as key drivers of demand for specialized high-capacitance MLCCs from Japanese and Korean suppliers.
Murata: Murata Manufacturing is a major Japanese electronics company specializing in the production of multilayer ceramic capacitors and other passive components for consumer, automotive, and industrial applications. In the current news, Murata is one of the primary suppliers reporting record monthly MLCC shipments fueled by demand from AI infrastructure projects at leading cloud providers.
TrendForce: TrendForce is a market intelligence firm that provides analysis and reports on the electronics, semiconductor, and supply chain industries. The firm is the source of the latest data on Japanese and Korean MLCC shipment trends driven by AI demand.
Taiyo Yuden: Taiyo Yuden is a Japanese company known for developing and manufacturing multilayer ceramic capacitors and other electronic materials for advanced technology sectors. It is cited in the news as experiencing strong shipment growth in its MLCC lines as production shifts to meet specifications for AI accelerators.
Amazon Web Services: Amazon Web Services provides cloud infrastructure services and develops custom AI training chips including Trainium for its data centers. AWS Trainium is referenced in the news as contributing to the strong procurement of compact, high-specification MLCCs by major cloud providers.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics: Samsung Electro-Mechanics is a South Korean manufacturer focused on electronic components including high-performance multilayer ceramic capacitors used across computing and communications equipment. The company is highlighted in the news for achieving its highest monthly MLCC shipment levels in five years due to sustained AI-related procurement.
Production Shift: Japanese and Korean MLCC makers are reallocating manufacturing lines from consumer-grade components to higher-specification products suited for AI systems.
Supply Tightening: Distributors and smaller customers are placing rush orders as inventories of mainstream MLCCs decline and spot-market availability tightens.
AI Hardware Demand: Leading cloud providers are maintaining elevated procurement of custom AI accelerators that require high-capacitance, low-voltage MLCCs.