Electronic Component Market News – Week 4 of September
Memory Chips
1. Memory prices continue to surge sharply. As of July 2026, the per-capacity prices of DRAM and NAND have risen by 7.1 times and 6.9 times respectively compared with one year ago. Gartner forecasts that the global memory market size in 2026 will grow 3.8 times year-on-year to USD 837.3 billion, accounting for 54% of the total semiconductor market.
2. Winbond Electronics announced the all-cash acquisition of Infineon’s NOR Flash business for USD 1.12 billion and will revive the Spansion brand. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2027.
3. Driven by AI server demand, the NOR Flash market is booming. Average prices jumped 100%–120% in the first half of 2026, and high-density products are projected to see another 90%–110% price hike in the second half.
4. Samsung has adjusted its HBM capacity strategy to a dual-process roadmap. HBM4 base dies will be manufactured using both its in-house foundry process and TSMC process, expanding competition into advanced process technology and foundry resource integration.
5. On September 18, memory stocks rallied collectively on the US stock market: SanDisk surged 11% and Micron gained around 4%. Micron stated that memory shortages now span the whole market, with customers continuously revising demand upward.
Passive Components
1. Murata plans to invest 80 billion yen to expand production of MLCC for AI servers, targeting a 20% capacity increase by fiscal year 2028. Meanwhile, it will discontinue 9 low-margin series including GRM, GRJ and GRT. Customers must confirm by the end of 2027, with the last order cutoff date on March 31, 2028. Capacity will be fully shifted to high-capacity MLCC for AI applications.
2. Sanhuan Group will raise prices for its automotive-grade MLCC in Q4, with an average increase of 30%–40% and a maximum hike of 80% for certain high-capacity part numbers. The spot market for passive components has seen a 5%–8% price rise this week.
3. Tantalum capacitors follow the uptrend. Kemet has implemented three price adjustments this year, while Panasonic’s polymer tantalum capacitors are marked up by 15%–30%. Prices of upstream tantalum powder and tantalum wire have climbed more than 50%, fueled by demand for tantalum capacitors in AI server power designs.
4. Samsung Electro-Mechanics has raised Q4 prices for consumer-grade X5R MLCC by an average of 25%–30%, prioritizing capacity allocation for high-end production lines.
Other Updates
1. South Korea’s revised semiconductor export controls took effect in September. Exports of AI chips and advanced semiconductor equipment require government approval.
2. Supply of heavily doped silicon wafers remains tight. Industry analysts expect wafer manufacturers to increase long-term contract prices for 2027 between September and October, triggering renegotiations for long-term pricing of PMICs and power chips.
Memory Chips
1. Memory prices continue to surge sharply. As of July 2026, the per-capacity prices of DRAM and NAND have risen by 7.1 times and 6.9 times respectively compared with one year ago. Gartner forecasts that the global memory market size in 2026 will grow 3.8 times year-on-year to USD 837.3 billion, accounting for 54% of the total semiconductor market.
2. Winbond Electronics announced the all-cash acquisition of Infineon’s NOR Flash business for USD 1.12 billion and will revive the Spansion brand. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2027.
3. Driven by AI server demand, the NOR Flash market is booming. Average prices jumped 100%–120% in the first half of 2026, and high-density products are projected to see another 90%–110% price hike in the second half.
4. Samsung has adjusted its HBM capacity strategy to a dual-process roadmap. HBM4 base dies will be manufactured using both its in-house foundry process and TSMC process, expanding competition into advanced process technology and foundry resource integration.
5. On September 18, memory stocks rallied collectively on the US stock market: SanDisk surged 11% and Micron gained around 4%. Micron stated that memory shortages now span the whole market, with customers continuously revising demand upward.
Passive Components
1. Murata plans to invest 80 billion yen to expand production of MLCC for AI servers, targeting a 20% capacity increase by fiscal year 2028. Meanwhile, it will discontinue 9 low-margin series including GRM, GRJ and GRT. Customers must confirm by the end of 2027, with the last order cutoff date on March 31, 2028. Capacity will be fully shifted to high-capacity MLCC for AI applications.
2. Sanhuan Group will raise prices for its automotive-grade MLCC in Q4, with an average increase of 30%–40% and a maximum hike of 80% for certain high-capacity part numbers. The spot market for passive components has seen a 5%–8% price rise this week.
3. Tantalum capacitors follow the uptrend. Kemet has implemented three price adjustments this year, while Panasonic’s polymer tantalum capacitors are marked up by 15%–30%. Prices of upstream tantalum powder and tantalum wire have climbed more than 50%, fueled by demand for tantalum capacitors in AI server power designs.
4. Samsung Electro-Mechanics has raised Q4 prices for consumer-grade X5R MLCC by an average of 25%–30%, prioritizing capacity allocation for high-end production lines.
Other Updates
1. South Korea’s revised semiconductor export controls took effect in September. Exports of AI chips and advanced semiconductor equipment require government approval.
2. Supply of heavily doped silicon wafers remains tight. Industry analysts expect wafer manufacturers to increase long-term contract prices for 2027 between September and October, triggering renegotiations for long-term pricing of PMICs and power chips.