MLCC Suppliers Shift Capacity Toward AI Servers and Data-Center Specifications
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Japanese and South Korean MLCC suppliers are reallocating supply away from selected consumer and standard automotive components toward higher-specification products for AI servers, data centers and automotive electronics, according to TrendForce. In parallel, international OEMs and ODMs have begun validating Chinese MLCC suppliers as potential alternatives for less demanding applications.
- Murata plans to end orders for selected affected MLCC products in 2028 and make final deliveries in 2029.
- The affected Murata consumer universal GRM and standard automotive products are described as having gross margins below 5%.
- Dell, HP, ASUS and Acer have begun validating Chinese MLCC suppliers through ODM channels.
- Chinese suppliers may gain traction in mainstream applications, but are not expected to quickly displace established suppliers in high-specification AI-server MLCCs.
- MLCC sourcing is likely to become more segmented between AI-grade components and lower-specification volume markets.
Japanese and South Korean MLCC manufacturers are increasingly directing production toward high-performance, miniaturized and high-capacitance components used in AI servers, data centers and automotive electronics. TrendForce characterizes the shift as structural, with supply being reduced for selected consumer-grade universal MLCCs and standard automotive components.
Murata Manufacturing has notified global customers that it will discontinue certain low-margin consumer universal GRM products and some standard automotive components. The affected products have gross margins below 5%, according to the cited source. Murata plans to stop accepting orders for these products in 2028, with final deliveries scheduled for 2029. The transition includes a three-year buffer period, according to the source.
For data-center operators and server supply-chain managers, the key issue is segmentation of MLCC availability. As established Japanese and South Korean vendors prioritize AI- and data-center-grade specifications, supply of consumer MLCCs in the medium- and high-capacitance range could tighten. This could create greater pricing and sourcing pressure in lower-specification product categories even as advanced capacity is directed toward AI infrastructure.
OEMs are responding by widening their qualification efforts. Dell, HP, ASUS and Acer have begun validation processes for MLCCs from Chinese suppliers Weirong Technology and Chaozhou Three-circle through ODM channels including Huaqin, Lianbao and Luxshare. Quanta and Pegatron have also visited Chaozhou Three-circle and begun validation, according to the source.
Validation does not indicate completed qualification, volume purchasing or an actual substitution of established suppliers. TrendForce also assesses that Chinese producers remain constrained by yield and manufacturing capacity for high-specification products, limiting their ability in the near term to challenge Japanese and South Korean leadership in MLCCs for AI servers. Their adoption could expand first in general-purpose servers, consumer electronics and lower-specification automotive applications.
The market implication is a more segmented passive-component supply chain: advanced suppliers may continue to target AI-server and data-center demand, while OEMs and ODMs seek Chinese alternatives for less demanding applications. That could reduce dependence on traditional suppliers in volume markets, but high-specification MLCC availability remains a potential supply-chain constraint for AI infrastructure.
MLCCs are critical passive components in server electronics. The supply shift could tighten availability and increase pricing pressure in parts of the consumer and mid- to high-capacitance MLCC market, while preserving priority access to advanced components for AI infrastructure. It may also accelerate supplier qualification in mainstream segments, without resolving constraints for high-specification AI-server components.
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