According to a report from Economic Daily News, the AI boom has significantly increased the use of passive components, particularly in AI PCs and AI servers. Murata, a Japanese giant in multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC), is optimistic about the market outlook, stating that AI is driving waves of MLCC demand.

As per a report from Nikkei, Murata President Norio Nakajima revealed in an interview that the AI trend is unstoppable, leading to an expansion in MLCC applications.

This expansion reportedly starts with smartphones and extends to edge AI in computers equipped with generative AI functions. The end-use of these devices will drive an increase in MLCC consumption, and the demand for components in AI servers is also ramping up.

Murata’s views on the passive component market are referable, as in the first half of this year, Murata was ahead of the industry in announcing a recovery in component shipments for the smartphone market and an increase in capacity utilization at its MLCC plants.

Norio Nakajima pointed out that as demand surges, the capacity utilization rate of Murata’s MLCC plants has been continuously increasing to meet end-user demand. Last quarter, the capacity utilization rate was approximately 80% to 85%, and this quarter it is expected to rise to 85% to 90%.

Following Murata, Taiwanese companies such as Yageo and Walsin Technology also saw a recovery in their operations, marking the beginning of a bullish phase for the passive component market.

Industry sources cited by Economic Daily News further explain that Murata’s optimistic outlook is well-founded. The average MLCC usage per AI PC has surged by about 80% compared to traditional PCs, while the usage in AI servers has more than doubled, with each server requiring an average of 3,000 to 4,000 MLCCs.

In high-speed computing environments, this will further drive the demand for high-capacity and high-voltage MLCCs. Meanwhile, Yageo and Walsin Technology are actively seizing the business opportunities brought by AI.

Yageo Chairman Pierre Chen once stated that at this stage, the group not only provides MLCCs and chip resistors for AI applications but also inductors and magnetic components.

These offerings include both standard and niche products, and the company can also provide customized product combinations according to customers’ requirements for high-temperature and high-current tolerance.

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• [News] Global Passive Component Giants to Raise Prices by 20%, Benefiting Taiwanese Supply Chain
• Passive Component Industry Nearing Bottom, Embracing AI and Automotive

(Photo credit: Murata)

According to a report from Economic Daily News, benefiting from the upcoming peak season for smartphones, a recovery in the PC market, and a more than 30% surge in silver prices this year, global giants such as Murata and TDK are planning to raise product prices. Targeted products include multilayer inductors and beads, with potential price hikes of up to 20%, marking a rare significant increase in the passive component industry in recent years.

Industry sources cited by the same report have noted that the passive components sector, after undergoing inventory adjustments for over one year, is now seeing inventory levels returning to healthy levels. This, coupled with customers replenishing stocks, the traditional peak season approaching, and significant cost increases, presents an opportunity for rare price hikes in products such as multilayer inductors and ferrite beads.

Industry sources cited by the report also highlight that silver accounts for up to 60% of the cost in manufacturing multilayer inductors and beads. With silver prices having surged nearly 40% at one point this year and still up 35% year-to-date despite a recent slight pullback, manufacturers are facing substantial cost pressures in mass-producing these components.

Leading global inductor manufacturers include Japanese companies like Murata, TDK, and Taiyo Yuden, as well as Taiwan’s Yageo and Walsin Technology groups. With major smartphone manufacturers launching new models in the second half of the year, the recovering PC market, and rising silver prices, industry sources indicate that top-tier companies like Murata and TDK may increase prices for multilayer inductors and beads. Large-size products are expected to see the first price hikes, ranging from 10% to 20%.

Industry sources further explain that multilayer inductors are characterized by magnetic shielding, which eliminates electromagnetic interference and effectively suppresses high-frequency oscillations in circuits. This makes them highly suitable for high-density circuit designs. Depending on their size, these inductors are widely used in consumer electronics and even servers.

On the other hand, ferrite beads are designed using ferrite materials and a multilayer manufacturing process. Their impedance varies with frequency, meaning they achieve high impedance at high frequencies, offering superior high-frequency filtering characteristics. This effectively suppresses noise interference, making them suitable for end products like smartphones, tablets, laptops, and power supplies.

Reportedly, the operations of passive component manufacturers have been gradually recovering. Leading passive component manufacturer Yageo is optimistic, noting that customer inventory levels are becoming healthier this quarter. The company expects its capacity utilization rate to continue increasing and holds an optimistic outlook for the market moving forward.

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• Passive Component Industry Nearing Bottom, Embracing AI and Automotive

(Photo credit: YAGEO)

In the third quarter of 2023, the passive component industry’s inventory has returned to normal levels. However, it continues to deplete due to sluggish end-demand. Nevertheless, downstream customers in the mobile phone and automotive sectors have begun rebuilding their inventories. Ample Electronic Technology, a major manufacturer of conductive paste and thick-film conductor materials, has already seen a recovery in its August 2023 revenue, indicating that the inventory adjustment process in the passive component industry, which began in the fourth quarter of 2021, has gradually bottomed out over nearly two years.

TrendForce Insights:

• Upstream operations in the passive component industry are rebounding, but true demand recovery awaits.

In the second quarter of 2023, the passive component industry’s inventory approached normal levels. However, due to weak end-demand, Chinese smartphone and PC manufacturers significantly reduced their component inventories in the second quarter of 2023, leading to continued poor performance for passive component manufacturers. It is expected that after hitting the bottom in the third quarter of 2023, operations will gradually improve. However, the timing of true demand recovery may need to wait until 2024, given the persistently sluggish consumer electronics market.

• AI servers are on the rise, and inductive components are in demand.

General-purpose servers primarily use molding power inductors, with quantities ranging from 20 to 30, an ASP of approximately $0.07 to $0.1 per unit, and a current rating of only 30 to 40A. In contrast, AI servers have power consumption levels generally exceeding 1000W. To improve transient response performance, each AI server requires an additional 10 TLVR (Trans Inductor Voltage Regulator) inductors, with an ASP of around $0.3 per unit. This significantly increases the revenue of inductance components for AI servers compared to general-purpose servers.

• Promising prospects in the automotive market, but validation takes time.

Conventional internal combustion engine vehicles require approximately 300 to 500 MLCCs (Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors), while Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) require between 2,000 and 2,500 MLCCs. Self-driving systems will also drive MLCC demand. For instance, in the case of automotive camera modules, the quantity increases from 2 to 10 to 15. From a holistic perspective, non-self-driving internal combustion engine vehicles require around 3,000 MLCCs, Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) with Level 2 autonomy need over 6,000 MLCCs, and Level 3 Electric Vehicles (EVs) require more than 10,000 MLCCs. This leads to a significant increase in the revenue of automotive MLCCs.

However, entering the automotive sector is challenging and requires at least 1 to 2 years for certification. Nevertheless, once established, it can secure long-term agreements for at least 5 years. Additionally, compared to the slowing growth of the consumer electronics market, the automotive sector offers substantial opportunities and provides a buffer against the cyclicality of passive component industries.