Main Highlights
Over the past six months, the electronics market hasn’t corrected, it has recalibrated.
Last October, we highlighted selective tightness, analogue price movements, legacy memory risk and AI-led divergence in demand.Since then, those themes have strengthened rather than softened. What we are seeing now is not a return to instability, but a market operating with narrower buffers and sharper contrasts. Global economic momentum remains mixed.Inflation is easing, but not uniformly. Energy costs have stabilised, yet labour and logistics remain structurally higher than pre-2020 norms. Interest rates continue to temper capital-heavy investment, particularly across traditional industrial infrastructure.
Meanwhile, AI infrastructure, defence programmes, medical technology and advanced automation continue to generate consistent demand. The gap between high-performance computing growth and mainstream electronics markets has widened further. For EMS providers, the environment is no longer reactive, it is strategic. The risk is not everywhere, but where it exists, it is concentrated.
Capacity and lead-time issues
- DDR4 demand remains resilient while manufacturers prioritise DDR5 and HBM.
- Distribution buffers are thin for both DDR4 and DDR5. Forward forecasting is now time-critical.
- NAND memory supply remains stable but volatile. Short-term price and availability changes are possible at short notice.
- Extended lead-times persist in high-speed connectors and interconnects, this is largely being driven by AI infrastructure.
- Analog Devices lead-times have moved out, with some lines extending well into 30+ and in some cases 40 weeks.
- A global shortage of T-Glass substrate is now impacting analogue, FPGA and CPU categories. A a raw material issue.
- Nexperia is still suffering on certain product lines with COO China that are transferring to other manufacturing locations following concerns over wafer viability last year, with disruption and allocation expected throughout 2026. Impacted products are select discrete and power semiconductors. Legacy node exposure requires careful monitoring.
- Rare earth materials, such as Yttrium, critical to ceramics and capacitors, remain heavily supply-restricted. As a result, even minor disruption quickly restrict availability, making lead-times less forgiving.
Pricing considerations
- Analog Devices applied a portfolio increase in February 2026 averaging 15%.
- Infineon will be applying price adjustments from 1st April 2026, with new orders and existing backlog.
- TE is expected to also align its pricing from March onwards, with some increases anticipated at 30%.
- Market intelligence suggests DRAM pricing will continue to rise sharply throughout 2026.
Manufacturer Mergers / Acquisitions
- Renesas Electronics are in discussions with SiTime regarding the potential transfer of its timing division (ex-IDT). The deal is still subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close by the end of 2026.
- Infineon acquires non-optical analogue/mixed-signal sensor portfolio from ams OSRAM in a reported €570m deal
- Texas Instruments to acquire Silicon Labs in an all cash transaction valued at $7.5b
- Marvell to acquire XConn Technologies, to expand leadership in AI Data and Center Connectivity.
PCB Technology
- Lunar New Year fell on 17th February, welcoming the year of the Horse, symbolising adventure, vitality and momentum.
- Gold pricing is at an all time high, increasing costs of PCB’s manufactured with hard gold features.
- Copper pricing is still high, continuing to push foil laminate pricing up, constraining supplies.
- Complex multilayer and HDI builds continue to see longer fabrication timelines due to specialist capacity and material constraints. Early DFM engagement is essential.
Global Economy
- Oil pricing is increasing, with the day high at $80.21 per barrel, with fears this will continue to rise sharply over the coming days.
- Gold still at an all-time high, trading at time of writing at £3,954.78 per ounce.
- Silver has fallen a little over the last 6 months, with it today showing £65.73 per ounce, down from the end of Jan highs.
- Steel rebar has fallen very slightly since Q3 2025 and is generally stable, listed at $556 per tonne when writing
- Copper is continuing to climb, with peaks in January, now showing $13,500 per tonne.
