U.S. · Taiwan · Tom's Hardware
AI demand triggers large PCB shortage for PC makers as order books full until 2030
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The AI industry continues to gobble up manufacturing resources that were once dedicated to serving PC, smart device, and gadget makers.
Key facts
- One Taiwanese PC maker noted that costs for CCLs have surged at least 12 times since July
- They've seen huge demand/supply driven price rises in RAM, GPUs, SSDs, and more through 2026
- Specifically, some PCB orders will take as long as 30 months to fulfill
- Another PCB supply firm explained to Nikkei that a new order today would not be fulfilled until late in 2028
Summary
Demand for data center CPUs has surged, and AI agents are responsible. Chip scarcity assaults auto industry amid the worsening Nexperia and DRAM crisis. An unnamed exec from an American PC maker spoke to Nikkei about the dire shortage of PCBs. The outlet also talked to business people further up the supply chain, the makers of PCBs and the makers of the components/materials needed to make PCBs. Another PCB supply firm explained to Nikkei that a new order today would not be fulfilled until late in 2028.