Chinese carmakers say printed circuit boards and multilayer ceramic capacitors are 20% to 30% short globally, with prices more than tripling over the past year because of AI data centre demand. Automotive memory prices rose about 180% in three months.
The AI boom has reached the cheapest components in a car. Chinese carmakers report a global shortage of 20% to 30% in printed circuit boards and multilayer ceramic capacitors, with prices more than tripling over the past year.
These are not exotic parts. A ceramic capacitor costs a fraction of a cent, and a modern car with driver assistance uses thousands of them.
The disruption is physical rather than financial. Geely’s Dai Yong says a lack of boards and capacitors stops assemblies running smoothly and interrupts production, which is a different problem from paying more.
The demand pulling them away is data centres. Industry officials expect at least a year before global supply can be built up to meet what AI infrastructure and carmakers now want simultaneously.
