Market Insights and Trends

 

Widespread Price Hikes Grip Semiconductor Market 

From late 2025 to early 2026, the global semiconductor and electronic components industry entered a new wave of widespread price hikes, spanning analog ICs, MCUs, FPGAs, power devices, passives, connectors, and upstream materials.

 

In analog, ADI completed a full price adjustment on February 1, with average increases of around 15%, and up to 30% for military-grade products. TI announced a broad price hike effective April 1, with increases ranging from 15% to 85% on industrial and automotive core chips such as digital isolators and power management ICs; some products saw cumulative increases of over 40% within six months. In MCUs and FPGAs, Xilinx and Lattice raised prices in March, with hikes concentrated between 10% and 20%. Xilinx increased its classic series by 20% and mid-to-high-end products by 10%, while Lattice raised core products by 10%. NXP adjusted prices on some mid-to-high-end embedded processors and automotive MCUs starting April 1, with Infineon and Renesas following suit.

 

In power devices, Infineon and Silan Microelectronics raised quotes by at least 10%, while onsemi adjusted prices effective April 1 for products used in power, industrial, and data center applications.

 

In passives, Yageo, Panasonic, and others raised prices by 10% to 30%. Connector products from TE Connectivity and Molex saw increases of 5% to 15%.

 

On the wafer side, SMIC and Hua Hong raised prices on mature process nodes by about 10%, while TSMC and UMC increased 8-inch foundry prices by 10% to 15%.

 

This round of price hikes is driven by multiple factors: rising costs of raw materials, energy, labor, and logistics; surging demand from AI servers, EVs, and other sectors; and structural supply shortages in mature process nodes. The market expects these price pressures to continue shaping procurement and supply chain strategies in the electronics manufacturing industry throughout 2026.

 

 

 

 

TI Launches Second Major Price Hike, Up to 85% 

Texas Instruments (TI) announced a new round of price adjustments effective April 1, 2026—its second major increase in a short period. According to supply chain sources, the increase is expected to range from 15% to 85%, covering core products such as digital isolators, isolated drivers, and power management ICs. The new pricing applies to both direct and distribution channel customers.

 

This round is broader in scope than previous adjustments. Earlier, TI had implemented targeted hikes of 10% to 30% in areas such as industrial control and automotive electronics. In June 2025, it raised prices on more than 3,000 chip models, expanding to over 60,000 models by August, with most increases between 10% and 25%, and some exceeding 30%. The new prices apply to all orders and shipments starting April 1.

 

The price increases are driven by both cost and demand. On the cost side, 8-inch wafer foundry, packaging, and raw material prices continue to rise. On the demand side, AI servers, EVs, and industrial equipment are seeing strong growth. Meanwhile, 8-inch wafer capacity is shrinking and inventory levels remain low, exacerbating the supply-demand imbalance. Industry sources note that strong demand from AI servers, EVs, and industrial equipment continues to support the analog and power management IC market. As an industry leader, TI's pricing moves will have a significant impact on distribution and spot market prices.

 

A broader analog price trend is taking shape. ADI implemented a full-line price increase on February 1, 2026, with average hikes of about 15% and some products up to 30%. Domestic players such as Novosense also raised prices starting late 2025, reflecting a structural realignment in the analog chip market driven by AI demand and rising upstream costs.

 

 

ST to Raise Prices by Double Digits Starting April 26 

On March 24, 2026, STMicroelectronics sent a letter to customers announcing a price increase effective April 26, 2026, covering key product lines including power conversion, MEMS sensors, and the mainstream STM32 series, with some categories seeing double-digit hikes. The move is attributed to rising global semiconductor demand, allocation fees or price increases from raw material suppliers, and higher energy and transportation costs.

 

ST is currently in a critical phase of industry recovery. Its Q1 2026 revenue forecast stands at $3.04 billion, with gross margin at 33.7%, driven by automotive electronics and SiC. On the supply side, ST and Hua Hong Semiconductor have begun mass production of locally made STM32 MCU wafers, with plans to expand production of general-purpose MCUs in China during 2026.

 

As global semiconductor inventory digestion nears completion and downstream demand recovers, the MCU market is facing renewed pressure on both price and lead times. As key components in automotive, industrial automation, and smart home applications, MCU price increases are expected to raise procurement costs across downstream industries.

 

 

NXP and onsemi Raise Prices Effective April 1 

Automotive chipmaker NXP and power semiconductor supplier onsemi have both announced price adjustments effective April 1, 2026. NXP issued a notice to partners on March 5, citing rising costs in raw materials, energy, labor, logistics, and supplier inputs, and will adjust prices on select products. Distributor list prices will take effect March 30. NXP currently reports lead times exceeding 11 weeks and expects revenue growth of about 14% over the next two years, targeting $15 billion in revenue and 60% gross margin by 2027. Its S32 automotive MCU series is projected to grow at 20% to 30% CAGR from 2023 to 2027, outpacing the automotive industry average of 9% to 12%.

 

onsemi issued a price adjustment notice on March 16, citing rising costs in raw materials, production, energy, and infrastructure, along with significant demand growth in power, industrial, and data center applications. The new pricing applies to all new orders placed on or after April 1, as well as existing undelivered orders scheduled for shipment on or after that date.

 

 

Xilinx, Lattice Lead FPGA Price Increases Amid Tight Supply 

FPGA leaders Xilinx and Lattice have raised prices, with increases concentrated between 10% and 20%, effective March 2026. Xilinx raised prices on its Stratix V classic series by 20% and on Agilex mid-to-high-end products by 10%. Lattice increased prices on its MachXO and ECP5 series by 10%, covering industrial, communications, and consumer electronics.

 

The price hikes reflect a combination of supply-demand imbalance and cost pressures. On the demand side, FPGA deployments in cloud platforms grew 85% year-on-year in 2023, and AI server FPGA demand is expected to exceed 3.5 million units in 2026, with per-server usage three to five times that of traditional servers. On the supply side, Xilinx and Intel together hold 84% of the global FPGA market. In 2025, Xilinx shifted 70% to 80% of its advanced capacity to AI-dedicated products, squeezing supply for mid-to-low-end devices.

 

This supply gap opens opportunities for domestic FPGA suppliers. Chinese FPGA vendors held 15% of the domestic market in 2023, expected to rise to 25% by 2026. Pango Microsystems has achieved mass production at 28nm, with automotive-grade products used in smart cockpits. Fudan Microelectronics is the only Chinese company mass-producing billion-gate-class FPGAs, with 1xnm products in small-scale sales. Anlogic focuses on 28nm processes, with consumer-grade shipments up 80% year-on-year.

 

Industry observers expect sustained AI demand, high costs, and lagging capacity expansion to keep FPGA prices elevated, with the market entering a phase of “high price, stable supply” in 2026.

 

 

Power and Analog Chip Price Hikes Spread: AOS and MPS Raise Prices 

Power semiconductor supplier AOS notified global customers of a price increase on selected products effective April 1, 2026. Power management IC maker MPS issued a price adjustment notice on March 17, effective May 1, 2026. AOS cited rising costs in raw materials, energy, logistics, and infrastructure, along with tightening supply in certain power semiconductor segments. MPS noted that increased demand across various semiconductor products has driven up costs from raw materials to manufacturing.

 

Since early 2026, power semiconductor price hikes have become widespread, involving global leaders like Infineon, ADI, domestic players such as China Resources Micro and Injoinic, and now AOS. The increases cover MOSFETs, IGBTs, diodes, and other core categories, with most hikes at 10% or above. The drivers are twofold: rising costs across raw materials, foundry, and packaging, and surging demand from EVs, energy storage, and data centers.

 

With AOS's increase taking effect April 1 and MPS's on May 1, both offer customers about one month of buffer. Analysts expect this round of price increases to be sustained, with industry momentum likely extending into the second half of 2027. Market attention will shift to domestic capacity additions and actual downstream demand.

 

 

 

Consumer DDR5 Prices Plunge Up to 29% in Panic Selling 

After months of gains, global consumer DDR5 memory prices saw a sharp correction in late March. In China, a mainstream 16GB DDR5 module dropped from its December 2025 peak of 980 yuan to around 700 yuan by March 27—a nearly 30% drop. Demand has fallen more than 60% compared to pre-November 2025 levels.

 

International markets showed similar weakness. On Amazon US, a Corsair 32GB DDR5-6400 kit fell from around $490 to $379.99, a drop of nearly 29%. A 16GB DDR5-5200 module fell from about $260 to $219.99, down roughly 18%. In Germany, average DDR5 prices fell 7.2% month-on-month in March, with some products down 10%, though prices remain 308% above July 2025 levels.

 

The sell-off is widely seen as panic selling by speculative buyers who accumulated inventory during the 2025 price run. Market sentiment was further shaken by Google's March release of TurboQuant, a memory compression algorithm that claims to reduce inference-stage memory usage by up to 84% and deliver up to 8x performance gains.

 

Analysts remain cautious. Morgan Stanley notes TurboQuant mainly optimizes inference cache and has limited impact on HBM used for AI training. Samsung Securities views the current price drop as a short-term channel sell-off, not a fundamental reversal. DRAM makers continue to prioritize capacity for data center and HBM products, keeping conventional DDR supply for smartphones and PCs tight. Enterprise and server memory prices.

 

 

Memory Market in "Panic Buying" Mode as Inventory Drops to 3–5 Weeks 

Global memory markets are facing unprecedented supply-demand imbalance. According to AData Chairman Simon Chen, inventory levels at Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron have dropped to around 3 to 5 weeks—near critical levels. Some NAND suppliers are reportedly requiring customers to prepay for three years of supply.

 

Advantech's Jason Chang noted that memory suppliers are now pricing based on shipment date rather than order date. Over 40% of customers are placing orders for the second half of the year early, concerned about further price increases. As of February, Advantech's backlog exceeded $1.13 billion, with 43% of orders scheduled for shipment six months out. Under quota allocation, the company can secure only 40% to 60% of requested quantities.

 

Winbond's President Lee Pei-ing expects DRAM price increases in the first quarter to exceed expectations, with second-quarter contract prices likely higher. He forecasts the supply-demand imbalance may not improve until late 2028.

 

Against this backdrop, major memory suppliers are moving toward long-term supply agreements. Samsung is negotiating three- to five-year contracts with Google and Microsoft, and has already received over $10 billion in prepayment from Microsoft. Micron has signed its first five-year strategic customer agreement in fiscal 2026 and plans to invest over $25 billion this fiscal year, nearly double the previous year's $13.8 billion.

 

 

DRAM Shortage Extends to 2028 as Nanya and AData Sound the Alarm 

Nanya Technology and AData both expect global DRAM supply to remain tight well into 2028. Nanya's February 2026 revenue reached NT$15.61 billion, up 586% year-on-year, marking its fourth consecutive record month. President Lee Pei-ing expects the shortage to persist through at least 2028. Nanya's 2026 capital expenditure will rise 2.7-fold to NT$50 billion, with a new fab expected to begin mass production in late 2027 and contribute 20,000 wafers per month by early 2028.

 

AData Chairman Simon Chen noted that major DRAM suppliers have already sold out their 2026 capacity, with shortages expected to drive price increases through all four quarters. Apacer's CEO Jason Chang pointed to long lead times for fab equipment—up to 18 months—suggesting supply constraints will likely persist into late 2027.

 

DRAM prices rose over 30% in Q4 2025, with spot prices up more than 300% in the past three months. Q1 2026 DRAM prices are expected to increase 80% to 95%. Counterpoint data shows 64GB server DDR5 RDIMM prices up 150% sequentially, 12GB LPDDR5X for smartphones up 130%, and 8GB DDR4 SO-DIMM for laptops up 180%. NAND prices have risen 130% to 150% in the same period.

 

Supply-side constraints are structural. Memory suppliers are shifting over 70% of capacity to HBM production, with HBM now accounting for over half of Samsung and SK Hynix's DRAM sales. HBM market size is expected to grow nearly 60% this year, accounting for 40% of the total DRAM market. Samsung and SK Hynix have jointly announced investments of 80 to 90 trillion won in capacity expansion, but new capacity typically takes about three years from construction to mass production.

 

 

Auto DRAM Leads Memory Rally with Up to 300% Price Jump 

Memory price increases continue to exceed expectations. Nomura has raised its Q2 2026 DRAM and NAND price forecasts to 51% and 50% sequentially, up from earlier estimates of 6% and 20%. Morgan Stanley data shows DRAM spot prices up 160% in 30 days and 260% over two months. Server DRAM contract prices rose 40% to 50% in Q4 2025, and Q1 2026 contract prices are up another 80% to 90%.

 

Counterpoint Research reports sharp price increases across memory categories in Q1 2026. 8GB DDR4 SO-DIMM prices rose 180% sequentially, 64GB server DDR5 RDIMM rose 150%, 12GB LPDDR5X for mobile rose 130%, and NAND flash rose 130% to 150%. Automotive DRAM has seen the steepest increases, with DDR4 up over 150% and DDR5 spot prices up as much as 300%. Ingress Semiconductor noted that automotive DRAM is extremely tight in 2026, with shortages and price hikes expected to continue throughout the year.

 

The main driver is AI demand. Over the past decade, the share of memory demand from PCs and smartphones has dropped from 60% to under 30%, replaced by AI investments from major tech companies. While major DRAM makers plan to increase output by about 26% in 2026, capacity remains insufficient to meet demand. Counterpoint notes that new capacity will not significantly impact supply until the second half of 2027.

 

 

Samsung Strike Vote Threatens Memory Supply 

Samsung Electronics workers approved a strike plan on March 18, authorizing a potential 18-day strike starting May 21. If talks fail, the strike could run from May 21 to June 7, with union leaders warning of potential 50% output cuts at Samsung's Pyeongtaek semiconductor facility.

 

The dispute centers on compensation. SK Hynix agreed to eliminate performance bonus caps and allocate 10% of operating profit to a bonus pool. Samsung currently caps bonuses at 50% of base salary. The union is demanding a 7% base salary increase, removal of bonus caps, and an operating profit-based bonus system. Management has offered a 6.2% raise and a special bonus equal to 100% of base salary if annual operating profit exceeds 100 trillion won, but talks broke down earlier this month.

 

Samsung's memory production is heavily concentrated in South Korea, with 100% of its DRAM and two-thirds of its NAND produced domestically. In Q4 2025, Samsung held a 36.6% share of the global DRAM market and 28% of the NAND market, ranking first in both.

 

 

Kioxia Halts TSOP MLC Output, Squeezing Low-Capacity eMMC 

Kioxia announced on March 19 that it will end production of TSOP-packaged MLC NAND flash, covering capacities from 8Gb to 64Gb. Final purchase forecasts are due May 30, 2026, with last orders by September 15, 2026, and shipments ending March 15, 2027.

 

Major suppliers are exiting the MLC market. Samsung announced its MLC phase-out in March 2025, with final shipments scheduled for June 2026. TrendForce projects global MLC NAND capacity will shrink 41.7% in 2026. This supply contraction has already driven sharp price increases, with MLC NAND contract prices up 150% in Q1 and expected to double again in Q2. Some spot orders could see fivefold increases.

 

MLC NAND demand remains strong in industrial, automotive, medical, and networking applications. Low-capacity eMMC cannot easily switch to TLC, creating supply gaps estimated at 36%, 47%, and 26% in 2026, 2027, and 2028, respectively. Taiwan's Macronix is expected to become one of the few remaining suppliers of low-capacity MLC and eMMC solutions after Kioxia's exit.

 

 

Nanya Secures Strategic Investments from Kioxia, SanDisk, Solidigm, and Cisco 

Amid ongoing DRAM shortages, a strategic realignment of the memory supply chain is underway. DRAM manufacturer Nanya Technology completed a private placement, raising approximately NT$78.72 billion (around RMB 17 billion) from four international strategic investors: Kioxia, SanDisk, Solidigm (SK Hynix), and Cisco. SanDisk will hold about 4% of Nanya, Kioxia about 2%, Solidigm about 2%, and Cisco about 2%. The pricing was set at NT$223.9 per share, a discount of only about 1.15%, reflecting investor confidence in the DRAM market's medium- to long-term outlook.

 

The investments come as DRAM has been in shortage since fall 2025. Nanya benefited from DDR4 price increases in Q4 2025, with revenue up 54.7% sequentially to $970 million, holding about 2% of the global DRAM market. For NAND leaders Kioxia, SanDisk, and Solidigm, securing DRAM supply is critical, as SSDs require DRAM buffers. With DRAM capacity shifting to DDR5, DDR4 supply is becoming increasingly scarce. Nanya plans to use the funds to expand advanced memory manufacturing capacity. The company expects DRAM prices to rise steadily through 2026, with shortages likely lasting into early 2027.

 

 

 

Legacy NAND Faces 40% Supply Gap in Late 2026 

Morgan Stanley forecasts that legacy MLC and TLC NAND will face a severe supply shortage in the second half of 2026, with a projected gap of 40%, positioning traditional NAND as the “next DDR4.” Unlike DDR4, major suppliers are actively reducing mature-process NAND capacity, intensifying structural shortages. Despite sharp price increases, MLC demand remains resilient due to higher endurance compared to TLC/QLC and lower price sensitivity in industrial and enterprise applications.

 

Driven by AI demand for storage chips, Phison Electronics is facing severe supply constraints. CEO Pai Chien-cheng stated that the company can only fulfill 30% of customer demand, leaving 70% of orders unfilled—highlighting the depth of current supply shortages. Pai noted that this storage “super cycle” differs fundamentally from past consumer-driven cycles, with growth driven by AI data center construction and deployment. Rising data volumes from AI adoption are pushing demand for high-capacity, high-performance storage, directly raising NAND prices. Pai emphasized that without storage, AI cannot scale.

 

NAND fabs raised contract prices by 50% in March. Major suppliers like Samsung and SK Hynix are unable to quickly add capacity, supporting sustained price strength. Some cloud service providers are deepening partnerships with Phison, with shipments expected to begin in May, driving Phison's enterprise SSD business. Enterprise SSD revenue is expected to account for 30% of total revenue in Q1 2026, doubling from Q4 2025.

 

 

Samsung DRAM Prices Double in Q1, NAND Set to Follow 

Samsung Electronics has confirmed final Q1 2026 DRAM contract price increases exceeding 100%, up from initial negotiations of around 70%, with some customers and products seeing even higher increases. SK Hynix and Micron have followed with similar hikes. Supply negotiations have shifted from annual to quarterly—or even monthly—schedules, reflecting the severity of market tightness.

 

On NAND, Samsung plans to raise prices on major NAND products by another 100% in Q2 2026, matching Q1 increases. Combined, Samsung's NAND prices will have more than tripled in the first half of 2026. DRAMeXchange data shows 128Gb MLC NAND contract prices reached $12.67 in February, up 33.9% month-on-month and 452.3% year-on-year.

 

The primary driver is AI infrastructure investment. Major DRAM makers are shifting capacity toward HBM, squeezing general-purpose DRAM supply. NAND suppliers have also cut capacity to focus on high-value products. Gartner projects DRAM and SSD prices will rise about 130% combined this year. Analysts expect supply shortages to continue through 2028, with further price increases likely in Q2.

 

 

NAND Supply Tightens as Phison and AData Build Inventory 

Phison reported record Q4 2025 revenue of NT$22.8 billion, up 25.7% sequentially and 81.3% year-on-year. Full-year 2025 revenue reached NT$72.66 billion, up 23.3%. February 2026 revenue was NT$12.2 billion, up 17% month-on-month and 170% year-on-year, with PCIe SSD controller shipments up 29% year-on-year. CEO Pai Chien-cheng noted continued supply tightness in NAND, with major suppliers maintaining cautious capacity expansion. Some forecasters expect NAND contract prices to rise 85% to 90% in Q1 2026.

 

NAND spot prices have doubled multiple times since the second half of 2025, with cumulative increases of up to 500% over six months. Counterpoint Research reported NAND price increases of 80% to 90% in Q1 2026. TrendForce raised its Q1 NAND contract price forecast from 33%–38% to 55%–60%. In February, 128Gb MLC NAND contract prices reached $12.67, up 33.9% from January, marking 14 consecutive months of increases.

 

Supply terms are tightening. SanDisk has reportedly required prepayment for up to three years of supply. Phison has notified customers of prepayment or advance payment requirements for future orders. Phison's inventory reached NT$35.6 billion in Q4 and has since exceeded NT$50 billion. The company's board has approved a US$400 million syndicated loan to support operations and inventory needs.

 

AData has also accelerated inventory building, reaching its target of NT$30 billion in inventory by the end of February, ahead of schedule, and is considering raising inventory to NT$35 billion. Chairman Simon Chen noted that major suppliers' inventory levels have dropped to about 3 to 5 weeks, with some NAND suppliers requiring three-year prepayment. Pai expects strong market conditions in Q1 and Q2 2026, with no clear signs of weakening in Q3 or Q4.

 

 

 

CPU Lead Times Extend to 6 Months as AMD and Intel Warn of Tight Supply 

Supply tightness is now spreading from memory to core logic devices as AI demand expands. AMD CEO Lisa Su noted that CPU demand is growing “far beyond expectations,” driven by rising AI inference requirements. Intel CFO David Zinsner said that “CPU is again in high demand,” with some customers seeking long-term supply agreements. Intel's Dave Guzzi noted that supply constraints are affecting everyone—from cloud providers to OEMs and system integrators.

 

Intel and AMD have notified customers of price increases of 10% to 15% across most CPU lines, effective March and April 2026. Lead times have extended from the typical 1–2 weeks to 8–12 weeks, with some customers facing up to six months of waiting. HP and Dell began experiencing supply shortages in late February. A server maker executive noted that average CPU lead times are now 8–12 weeks, with conditions potentially worsening in Q2 2026.

 

The demand surge is driven by agentic AI. Studies show that in agentic AI workflows, CPUs account for about 44% of computing power—three to four times their share in traditional AI workloads. HSBC has raised its 2026 global server shipment growth forecast from 4% to 20%, citing potential upside to 60%. General-purpose server CPU demand is expected to grow nearly 15% in 2026, but Intel's capacity expansion is in the single digits. Current CPU and DRAM supply gaps are estimated at 30% to 40%, with SSDs and power ICs also seeing 10% to 30% shortages. The growth cycle is expected to extend through 2028.

 

Retail prices are under pressure. Acer Chairman Jason Chen noted that combined CPU and memory shortages will drive up end-product prices, with PC shipments potentially falling 6% to 9% this year. Asustek expects notebook prices to rise another 25% to 30% in Q2. With x86 supply constrained, Arm-based chips are gaining share. Asustek reported that Arm-based CPUs now account for 30% of its Copilot AI PC products, up from 20% late last year. Apple, with its in-house M-series processors, has avoided the price increases and recently launched a MacBook Neo starting at RMB 4,599.

 

 

 

NVIDIA CEO Reveals $1 Trillion Backlog 

At GTC 2026, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang disclosed that the company's backlog has reached $1 trillion. This figure covers orders for the Blackwell and Vera Rubin platforms through 2027, excluding other product lines such as Groq, storage, Bluefield, CPUs, Vera Rubin Ultra, and Feynmann. Huang indicated that total revenue could likely exceed $1 trillion, up from $500 billion mentioned last year, with significant additional orders expected over the next 21 months.

 

Huang noted that growth is actually accelerating, with NVIDIA at an inflection point in the inference market. He added that 99% of Vera Rubin sales represent incremental growth rather than replacement of Blackwell, with meaningful replacement demand unlikely for at least a decade—suggesting the AI compute market still has significant runway.

 

Regarding China, Huang confirmed that multiple Chinese customers have received H200 export licenses, with procurement orders placed and supply chains restarting. He emphasized the strategic importance of OpenClaw, describing it as a foundational computing platform akin to Linux for servers, Kubernetes for cloud, and HTML for the internet—poised to become the core architecture for next-generation AI infrastructure.
Passive

 

 

 

Yageo Announces Third Tantalum Capacitor Price Hike 

Yageo's KEMET unit announced a price adjustment on its T523 polymer tantalum capacitor series, effective April 1, 2026. This marks the third price increase on tantalum capacitors since the second half of 2025. KEMET raised prices on certain polymer tantalum capacitor specifications in June 2025, followed by another increase on T520, T521, and T530 series in November 2025, with reported hikes of 20% to 30%. While the latest adjustment does not specify magnitude, analysts expect double-digit increases given sustained demand from AI servers and other downstream applications.

 

 

Tantalum capacitors are a significant part of Yageo's business, accounting for about 21.7% of revenue in Q4 2025, second only to magnetic components. The global tantalum capacitor market is dominated by KEMET, AVX, and Vishay, which together hold 60% to 70% market share, with KEMET alone accounting for over 50%. AI servers have emerged as a major new driver of tantalum capacitor demand, alongside traditional aerospace and defense applications. The T523 series is used not only in AI servers but also in graphics cards and general servers. Observers note that continued AI infrastructure expansion is driving increased use of high-capacitance, low-ESR capacitors, contributing to a broad-based increase across passive components.

 

 

 

Manufacturer Updates

 

A Broad-Based Price Surge Led by TI, onsemi, and Xilinx

The most notable trend in the semiconductor market this month is the widespread price     increase, characterized by broad coverage and significant magnitude.

• Texas Instruments (TI) announced its second general price hike in the near term, effective April 1st. The increase ranges from 15% to 85%, covering core products such as digital isolators, isolated gate drivers, and power management ICs. This round is broader in scope and larger in scale, applying to both direct and distribution customers, reflecting the company's strong outlook on market supply and demand.
  
• onsemi also confirmed a price adjustment on select products starting April 1st. MOSFET products are broadly affected, with AI server-related models seeing the largest increases, driven by surging demand for power devices in AI data center applications and rising costs.
• Xilinx raised prices across its main product lines by 10% to 20% starting in March, with certain FPGA models featuring embedded memory seeing increases of up to 60%. The demand for AI computing power is the core driver, as high-end intelligent computing servers double the usage of FPGAs. This, combined with constrained capacity, has pushed the market into a phase of high prices and stable supply.
• Infineon and Renesas have also joined the wave of price increases. Infineon announced it would raise prices on some products starting in April, adopting a strategy of "phasing out older products while focusing on new ones" with an emphasis on AI and silicon carbide. Renesas, on the other hand, has seen price increases in the spot market due to strong demand for AI server power management ICs.

 

 

Structural Shortages Persist, with Automotive and AI as Key Demand Drivers

The market is not facing a broad-based shortage but rather a clear structural one, with     demand highly concentrated in the automotive electronics and AI sectors.

• Automotive Electronics: Sustained strong demand has led to tight supply for related components.

• NXP's automotive microcontrollers (S32K, MPC57 series) and CAN transceivers (TJA1042) have lead times extending up to 40 to 50 weeks.
• Microchip's automotive-grade MCUs are now in short supply, with lead times for popular models exceeding 30 weeks. At the same time, demand for 32-bit MCUs has notably increased, as new designs are rapidly transitioning from 8/16-bit architectures.
• STMicroelectronics is seeing a clear increase in shortages for automotive-grade components and discrete devices. Lead times for related power devices (MOSFETs, IGBTs) and 32-bit MCUs are generally being extended.

 

• AI and Data Centers: This sector has emerged as the second major engine driving semiconductor growth.

• Analog Devices (ADI) benefited from AI-driven demand, with its communications and industrial segments growing 63% and 38% year-over-year, respectively, in the first quarter of fiscal 2026. Overall demand remains strong even after recent price adjustments.
• Broadcom's server adapter cards, particularly the SX series, remain in severe shortage. Prices for some models have surged over tenfold, while PCI-E related components are experiencing significant price volatility. High-end switching chips are subject to allocation.
  
• Renesas is experiencing strong demand for server and data center power ICs, including CPU multiphase controllers and SPS (Smart Power Stages), with lead times ranging from 24 to 38 weeks.

 

Market Outlook

• The current semiconductor market is in a structural upcycle driven by two key engines: AI and automotive electronics. Major manufacturers, especially TI, onsemi, and Xilinx, are seizing this opportunity to implement broad or selective price increases to address cost pressures and optimize their product portfolios.
• Supply constraints are unlikely to ease in the short term. For components closely tied to AI servers and automotive electronics—such as power devices, high-end MCUs, FPGAs, and certain power management ICs—extended lead times and elevated price levels are expected to define the market landscape throughout 2026. Meanwhile, demand for non-critical segments, such as general-purpose MCUs, remains sluggish. The trend of a polarized market—with pockets of high demand alongside weaker areas—is set to continue.

 

 

 

 

Spot Market Insights

Memory

eMMC / NAND Flash

• Price Trend: eMMC prices are rising across the board, with strong market demand.
• Supply Situation: Kioxia/SanDisk supply is very tight, with few offers available. Prices remain high, generally above Samsung. Winbond prices have been steadily increasing after the holiday, but spot supply is limited.

 

 

DDR3 / DDR4 / DDR5 / LPDDR

• DDR3: Demand surged after the holiday, with active trading. Prices rose significantly, and Taiwanese brands (Nanya, Winbond) now have higher prices than top-tier brands like Samsung and Micron. Caution is advised regarding counterfeit Micron and Nanya parts in the market.
• DDR4: Prices for Samsung, Hynix, and Micron 8G/16G products have seen a slight pullback. Industrial-grade versions remain at high prices due to limited supply and few offers.
• LPDDR ：

• Short Term: Market activity has cooled compared to before the holiday. Sellers are willing to move stock but are holding firm on prices, taking a wait-and-see approach. Overall demand is steady, with large-capacity parts especially tight. Some part numbers are expected to see price increases.
• Long Term: A significant LPDDR shortage is expected throughout 2026. Manufacturer capacity falls far short of meeting demand from top-tier OEMs. Automotive-grade LPDDR has seen active trading recently.

• Consumer DDR5 market：

• In late March, domestic consumer-grade DDR5 prices fell nearly 30% from their peak, while international markets saw a concurrent decline, with the largest drop reaching 29%. Multiple institutions pointed out that this round of price reduction was driven by short-term channel sell-offs, rather than a fundamental reversal in supply and demand.
• Supply of conventional DDR for smartphones and PCs remains tight, while prices for enterprise and server memory stay firm.
  

 

 

Server Memory (DIMM)

• Market Update: Trading was active recently, with strong buying interest (driven by higher target prices from US-based clients). Prices are mostly flat, with demand concentrated on DDR5 64G modules.

 

 

 

Storage

 

HDD

• Supply and Demand: Demand was average recently. Prices for high-capacity (16T/20T/24T) enterprise drives are flat. Low-capacity (4T/8T) enterprise SATA drives saw a 5–8% price increase from the previous period, with only a few trades.
• Capacity Outlook: Overall industry capacity is shrinking. Arrivals in Q2 are expected to be about half of Q1.

 

 

SSD

• Enterprise Market:

• Samsung: Market prices are stable, but trading volume is light. Some low-priced stock has appeared for 960G, 3.84T, and 7.68T capacities.
• Solidigm: The manufacturer plans to release new official pricing in April, with an expected increase of 15–25%. Enterprise products like the P5520 3.84T and S4520 3.84T saw some trades last week.

 

 

 

CPU

Mobile Platform

• Market demand is steady, with prices continuing to rise. Key models being sourced include J6412, N95, N100, and N150. 

 

 

PC Platform

• Intel plans to raise prices across its entire product line in April, with official prices increasing by about 10%. Current tray CPU prices are showing a mild upward trend.
  

 

 

Server Platform

• Supply and Demand: Supply is tightening overall, with both Intel and AMD experiencing shortages, mainly driven by stronger-than-expected demand for AI inference applications.
• Price and Lead Time: Official prices are set to increase. End customers are focused on 4th and 5th generation products, with high demand but limited supply. 5th and 6th generation parts are in the highest demand, with spot supply extremely tight and prices high. Lead times for some high-end models (such as 6544Y, 6767P) have extended to half a year.
• Key Models: Recent market searches focus on Intel 8558P, 6530, 4510, and 6542Y.

 

 

 

GPU

• Price and Lead Time: Although Nvidia has not yet adjusted official pricing, prices from AIC partners and in the end market have generally risen by about 15%. Since mid-March, Nvidia GPUs have been shipping under the new pricing plan (15–22%).
• Consumer Market: Driven by a sharp rise in GDDR7 memory costs and tight spot supply, consumer GPUs have seen price increases across all models, ranging from 10–30%. Models with larger memory capacities have seen the most significant gains.
• Supply Outlook: A large shipment of H200 products is expected to arrive in late April. 

 

 

 

Network Cards & RAID Controllers

• Broadcom:

• RAID Controllers: Demand for the mainstream 9500 series (9560-8i/16i) is strong, and competitively priced stock moves quickly. Overall prices continue to rise, with the 9560-8i up about 11%. Demand is emerging for the high-end 9600 series (9670-24i), but it remains out of stock with limited spot supply. Prices are expected to drop after arrivals in May–June.

• Mellanox:

• Network Cards: Arrivals are very limited, mostly expected in late March to April. Mainstream MCX series cards still have some stock on the market due to larger arrivals late last year. Meanwhile, Broadcom network cards are seeing increased demand due to tight supply.
• Market Update: After large H200 shipments arrive in late April, Mellanox 200G dual-port and 400G single-port network cards may face shortages again