Samsung Electro-Mechanics, the world’s second-largest producer of multilayer ceramic capacitors, just locked in a 454 billion won contract to supply MLCCs to a global firm. That’s roughly $320-360 million worth of components most people have never heard of, powering technology most people use every day.

What are MLCCs, and why should you care

Multilayer ceramic capacitors are tiny components, sometimes smaller than a grain of rice, that stabilize power delivery and filter out high-frequency noise in circuit boards. A single AI server can require between 15,000 and 25,000 MLCCs. MLCCs destined for AI server applications reportedly command prices more than triple those for ordinary consumer electronics uses.

Samsung Electro-Mechanics, commonly known as SEMCO, holds over 20% of the global MLCC market. That makes it the second-largest producer worldwide, trailing only Japan’s Murata Manufacturing.

SEMCO’s broader strategic play