Tiny capacitor, huge demand: the AI frenzy driving MLCC prices higher (opens in new tab)

Last year, it was memory chips. This year, the hottest commodity in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei electronics market is a component no larger than a postage stamp. Chinese vendors of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) are riding a massive wave of soaring prices driven by the global artificial intelligence boom. Because these minuscule components are vital for regulating electric currents, global manufacturing lines are scrambling to keep up with skyrocketing demand from AI server clusters and...