Electronic Component Market: Continued Price Increases and Extended Lead Times in the Second Half of 2026

Dear customers and partners,

We would like to inform you about the current situation on the global electronic component market. According to the latest information we are receiving from our suppliers, the second half of 2026 will be marked by widespread price increases, extended lead times, and persistent supply constraints.

What is happening on the market

The pressure is coming from several directions at once:

Memory. Memory prices (NAND, DRAM, eMMC, and multi-chip packages) are rising by 30% to over 100% compared to previous quarters. No price relief is expected before the end of the year — production capacity has been redirected toward higher-margin segments, including memory for AI servers.

Printed circuit boards (PCB). Supply is extremely tight — manufacturers of base materials (laminates and prepregs) are covering only 80–90% of demand and operating under quota allocation. Lead times have stretched from 2–4 to 3–6 months, and prices are expected to rise by more than 50% over the half-year. Constraints are forecast to persist through the end of 2027.

Passive and discrete components. The situation is most acute for multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCC), where leading manufacturers are limiting shipments and spot-market prices have multiplied. Price increases and extended lead times are also being observed for resistors, transistors, inductors, crystals, RF components, and power management ICs.

The main drivers are a combination of limited manufacturing capacity (wafers, packaging, testing), rising raw material costs (gold, copper, resins), and sharply increased demand from the AI and server industry. Upstream price hikes have also triggered pre-emptive stockpiling, which is tightening supply even further.

How this affects finished products

The component situation is directly reflected in the prices and lead times of finished products across nearly all product groups. As a general guide:

• LTE modules — lead times in the range of 22–28 weeks (extended by 10–14 weeks);
• GNSS modules — 14–20 weeks, with PCBs and baseband chipsets as the critical factors, where lead times reach up to 12 months;
• Short Range modules (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth) — lead times extended by 8–12 weeks;
• Microcontrollers — leading manufacturers have announced price adjustments during 2026 amid a general tightening of the market, with lead times for certain families exceeding 30 weeks;
• LEDs — after years of declining prices, the entire LED segment has shifted to price increases, driven by rising costs of raw materials, driver ICs, and substrates.

Manufacturers are moving to monthly or quarterly price list updates, with prices determined by the shipment date rather than the order date. This means that even orders placed earlier may be affected by new price levels.

Our recommendation to you

In a market like this, the most valuable resource is early and accurate information. We encourage you to share your needs and consumption forecasts with us as early as possible — even indicative quantities for the next 6–12 months are of great help. This will allow us to plan and optimize logistics, reserve production capacity with our suppliers, and secure the best possible prices and delivery times for you.

The Comet Electronics team remains at your disposal for consultation on specific projects and alternative solutions in cases of constrained availability.