Reported by 2 outlets
The story so far
AI summary of the reporting below · Updated · How we work
Booming demand for artificial intelligence hardware is severely constraining the global supply of printed circuit boards, pushing order books out as far as 2030, according to Nikkei Asia. Hardware manufacturers across the personal computing industry now face mounting challenges securing basic electronic components as high-paying AI infrastructure buyers command factory capacity. [1][2]
Component lead times have doubled for many products, with certain orders facing waits up to 30 months and another supplier warning that new orders cannot be delivered until late 2028. Raw material pressures are compounding delays; one Taiwanese PC manufacturer noted that costs for copper-clad laminates have surged at least 12 times since July. Finding labor is also an obstacle, prompting salaries across the sector to rise between 20% and 30% to retain engineering talent. [2]
The bottleneck threatens to drive up retail costs for broader consumer electronics, including gadgets and PCs. In response, suppliers are racing to expand capacity, highlighted by Nvidia forging agreements with substrate producers including Japan's Ibiden, South Korea's Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Taiwan's Unimicron, which plans to boost capacity by 2.5 times over the next three years. [1][2]
The AI industry continues to gobble up manufacturing resources that were once dedicated to serving PC, smart device, and gadget makers. Inevitably, the PCB industry has started to feel its effects.
via Tom’s Hardware
Not just memory and NAND, but PCB costs are apparently rising rapidly as well, thanks to the AI boom. AI Infrastructure Demand is Reportedly Gobbling up the PCB Supply, Which Could Make Consumer Hardware Even More Expensive Not just memory, SSDs, and GPUs are surging in costs, but the PCBs (printed circuit boards) are about to see a significant surge in prices in the near future.
via Wccftech