01. MLCC Price Surge Spreads to Inductors; Premium Models Double
Passive component inflation is shifting from MLCCs to inductors. The rally is bifurcated: consumer-grade products remain flat, while AI server and automotive-grade inductors lead gains—some scarce models spiking 150%.
AI servers require advanced power architectures, making TLVR-structure inductors a bottleneck with high technical barriers and tight supply. EVs are also driving sustained automotive inductor demand, where qualification cycles are long and capacity ramps slowly.
Global leader Murata raised power inductor prices 15–35% in April, with rumors of another 50% hike in July. Chinese leaders Sunlord, Microgate, and Poco have already adjusted prices, with AI server and automotive products moving fastest.
02. Memory Shortage Likely Extends Beyond 2027
Micron's earnings beat expectations, with management forecasting AI-driven memory undersupply lasting at least through 2027. CEO Sanjay Mehrotra stated AI is fueling demand across all endpoints—HBM, DRAM, NAND, and enterprise SSDs—calling memory a "strategic asset" of the AI era. Even with supply improving by 2028, demand may still outpace it.
Micron has signed 16 long-term strategic agreements with key customers using a "take-or-pay" model, spanning up to five years. Revenue hit $41.46B (up 3x YoY), with gross margin at a record 84.9%. Data center revenue surged 7x to $11.5B. Guidance: ~$50B revenue this quarter, with capex raised to $10B. 2026 HBM capacity is nearly sold out.
03. Realtek and MediaTek Adjust Select Chip Prices
Realtek and MediaTek are raising prices on select mature-node chips to reflect higher wafer, packaging, and material costs.
Realtek will hike specific product lines over 10% starting July, supported by improving WiFi, Ethernet, and AI PC demand. MediaTek also expects to adjust flagship chip pricing in H2, as smartphone platforms benefit from new model builds and emerging market recovery.
Analysts note that while AI advanced-node demand tightens some supply chains, mature-node applications face low inventory and stable demand. This signals the semiconductor recovery is broadening beyond AI accelerators and premium memory into PCs, networking, and smartphones.
04. Qualcomm Unveils Data Center Roadmap, Targets $15B by 2029
Qualcomm announced its data center strategy, launching the Dragonfly C1000 CPU, High Bandwidth Compute (HBC), AI300 inference accelerator, and connectivity products. The C1000 features custom Oryon cores with 250+ cores at 5GHz+, targeting 2x+ performance-per-watt improvement, with 2028 availability. HBC places AI accelerators beneath LPDDR DRAM stacks, delivering 6x bandwidth-per-watt vs. HBM; AI250 samples expected mid-2027.
FY2029 data center revenue target: over $15B, with non-handset business reaching $40B. Qualcomm has a multi-generation partnership with Meta; the C1000 will power Meta's next-gen servers, entering production H2 2028.
05. Global Semiconductor Supply Chain: Taiwan Is Indispensable
ASE COO Tien Wu noted that no semiconductor technology is exclusively producible in Taiwan, but the island holds three critical advantages: a complete industrial ecosystem, tight upstream-downstream coordination, and long-term international customer trust.
Wu emphasized that semiconductor competition hinges on speed, efficiency, and scale. Taiwan's edge lies in the world's most complete semiconductor cluster, where firms form a tightly knit collaboration network with exceptional vertical communication. Customer trust is also key—silicon photonics clients began布局 17 years ago; CoWoS advanced packaging was planned 20 years ago.
The "global innovation + Taiwan manufacturing" model remains central to Taiwan's sustained leadership.
06. Apple Raises Mac/iPad Prices 15–25%, Citing AI-Driven Memory Cost Surge
Apple has officially raised iPad and Mac prices by approximately 20%, attributing the move to soaring memory and storage costs driven by rapid AI data center expansion.
The company stated that the consumer electronics industry faces unprecedented challenges, with component prices rising at an alarming pace and scale. While Apple had long absorbed these increases to shield customers, it can no longer avoid passing costs through across multiple product lines.