Record-high precious metal prices upstream are tightening cost pressure across the passive components industry, but the impact on protection components has so far been contained. Thinking Electronic Industrial said silver prices have surged since 2025, yet supply-demand dynamics have limited immediate price pass-through, allowing product prices to stabilize after a prolonged period of decline.
AP Memory is expanding into AI servers and high-performance computing, with its S-SiCap roadmap delivering concrete progress. Fourth-generation discrete silicon capacitors are set to adopt embedded substrate packaging first, having already entered sample-based process validation, with phased mass production starting from 2026.
Rafael Microelectronics is positioning optical communications and custom ASIC services as the twin pillars of its growth strategy heading into 2026, as the company accelerates its transition from a niche receiver-chip supplier into a broader high-speed signal transmission solutions provider.
Taiwan is seeking to anchor itself at the center of the next wave of artificial intelligence infrastructure, with silicon photonics elevated to a strategic national priority.
Leatec Fine Ceramics, an upstream supplier of ceramic materials for passive components, held an in-person investor conference on December 15. CFO Chen Yung-tsang said rising global macro uncertainty has made downstream customers more cautious since the second quarter of 2025. Procurement patterns have shifted clearly from long-term contracts to short-term orders, compressing overall order visibility to around one month.
United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) announced on December 17 that it will participate in the capital increase of its affiliate, IC substrate manufacturer Unimicron Technology, as part of a strategic investment plan.
