01. Passive Components Market Recovery This Year, Driven by AI and Automotive Demand
On March 10, Economic Daily reported that with AI and automotive electronics demand continuing to heat up, the passive components industry—after two years of inventory destocking—will see a gradual market recovery in 2026. AI servers, high-performance computing, and electric vehicles are driving increased power and complexity in electronic systems, simultaneously boosting demand for MLCCs, chip resistors, and inductors. Japanese leaders Murata and TDK are strengthening high-end product portfolios, while Taiwanese manufacturers, including Yageo, Walsin Technology, and inductor makers Sincere San Shing Electronics and Tai-Tech, are seeing positive operational outlooks. A new-generation AI server uses significantly more MLCCs than traditional servers, with continued climbing demand for high-capacitance and high-voltage capacitors driving industrial structural upgrades.
02. Chip Inflation! Three Major Manufacturers Lead Price Hikes
On March 13, Commercial Times reported that three major international chip design houses—TI, NXP, and Infineon—have successively announced price increases on select products effective April 1. TI's partial product hikes reach up to 85%, with new prices already integrated into internal systems and simultaneously applicable to both direct sales and distribution channels; NXP's adjustments primarily reflect rising raw material, energy, labor, and logistics costs; Infineon's mainstream products will rise 5-15%, with some high-end products seeing even larger increases.
The three manufacturers' nearly synchronized timing demonstrates the universality of cost pressures facing the semiconductor industry, with acceleration in downstream transmission inevitable—automotive electronics, industrial equipment, and power module downstream industries will certainly see rising procurement costs.
03. DDR4 Surges, Nanya Tech and Winbond May See Order Transfer Effects
On March 11, Economic Daily reported that Samsung faces potentially its largest-ever employee strike, rattling memory market nerves. Latest memory quotes from Shenzhen Huaqiangbei—the world's largest electronics wholesale and retail market—show DDR4 leading the surge, with Nanya Technology, Winbond, and Etron becoming main global DDR4 suppliers and emerging as major winners. Institutional investors believe Samsung workers' brewing large-scale strike continues to fuel market panic buying and price increase sentiment, with memory manufacturers including Nanya Tech and Winbond expected to profit.
04. Infineon 2025 MCU Market Share Expands to 23.2%, Solidifying Global Leadership
On March 12, SemiMedia reported that Infineon Technologies' 2025 global MCU market share rose to 23.2%, up from 21.4% in 2024, firmly securing its position as the world's largest MCU supplier. Despite the overall MCU market declining 0.3% in 2025, Infineon achieved counter-trend shipment growth through strong positioning in automotive electronics and industrial control.
The company's MCUs are widely deployed in ADAS, power management, and industrial IoT devices. In August 2025, Infineon completed its acquisition of Marvell's automotive Ethernet business, strengthening integration capabilities for software-defined vehicle architectures and autonomous driving systems.
05. Heavy Memory Price Pressure, Apple Deploys Three Strategies to Push Foldable iPhone
On March 9, United Daily News reported that Apple is rumored to be expanding initial inventory preparation for its first foldable "iPhone Fold" by up to 20%. As memory shortages and sharp price increases create massive cost pressure for major brands, Apple is countering with three strategies: first, foldable phones occupy premium price tiers where consumer price sensitivity is lower, allowing full cost pass-through; second, precisely cutting low-margin capacity to secure high-margin new products and maintain profitability; third, Apple's brand strength may transcend memory cost pressures, attracting numerous design-conscious Apple fans to purchase.
06. Pegatron Server Shipments Grow Tenfold, Expected to Rise Quarter-by-Quarter This Year
On March 12, Economic Daily reported that at its investor conference, Pegatron Co-CEO Thomas Ting stated server business will continue last year's shipment momentum, expecting quarter-by-quarter growth this year with stronger momentum in H2. Given the low base, tenfold growth is anticipated.
Pegatron's Texas fab is scheduled for trial production following March completion, preparing capacity not only for existing customers but also to attract new clients. Ting analyzed that Pegatron initially entered the server business partnering with NeoCloud, with current AI servers primarily serving NeoCloud customers. Pegatron is also part of Nvidia's Vera Rubin new platform supply chain, with related samples expected to pass validation soon.