On July 28, Taiyo Yuden announced a new round of MLCC price increases, effective September 1, citing persistently high raw material costs that internal cost-cutting can no longer absorb. The company noted that even after the previous hike in May, cost pressure remained unresolved. Supply-side conditions are also tight, with industry-wide capacity unable to meet downstream demand, and delivery delays are widespread.

This is Taiyo Yuden's second price adjustment in 2026. In May, the company raised prices on multi-terminal MLCCs, inductors, ferrite beads, ceramic RF components, SAW filters, and aluminum electrolytic capacitors. CEO Katsu Sato had stated in June that he did not expect near-term price hikes based solely on supply tightness, but the latest move underscores the severity of current cost and supply-demand imbalances.

The price surge extends across the passive component industry. Yageo raised capacitor prices across all categories effective July 1. TrendForce data shows domestic spot channels raised X5R MLCC prices by 15–25% on average starting in June. While small-capacity general-purpose MLCCs saw slight pullbacks in July, high-capacity high-end MLCCs continue their upward trend.

AI server demand is a key driver. As cloud providers scale custom AI chips, demand for high-capacity, low-voltage, miniaturized MLCCs is steadily rising. As of late June, book-to-bill ratios for Murata, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Taiyo Yuden hit 1.30, 1.31, and 1.25 respectively – all historical highs. The industry-wide ratio reached 1.04.

From ICgoodFind: MLCC pricing is now a two-speed market. High-capacity AI-grade MLCCs are climbing fast, while small-cap parts are softer – but supply tightness and delivery pressure are universal across the board.