The next bottleneck has arrived: AI boom intensifies PCB material shortages

While the electronics industry has focused primarily on semiconductors in recent years, the next critical supply bottleneck has already emerged in the background: PCB base materials are becoming scarce worldwide. 

The primary driver is the rapid expansion of AI data centers and high-performance computing systems. These applications require enormous quantities of high-grade laminates, significantly reducing available production capacity for traditional industrial and automotive applications. The layer count of PCBs used in AI servers is three to five times higher than that of conventional designs. As a result, demand for high-quality PCB materials is increasing substantially throughout the entire supply chain. Industry experts expect demand to remain at a very high level, or continue to grow, at least through the end of 2026.

A particular challenge is the simultaneous shortage of several key raw materials required for PCB manufacturing. In addition to copper-clad laminates (CCL), supply pressure is increasingly affecting copper foils, prepregs (especially PP1080 and PP2116), high-performance resin, and other materials such as tungsten carbide used for drilling and routing tools. For fiberglass fabrics, industry experts do not anticipate any significant easing of supply constraints before 2028.

The consequences include rising prices, longer lead times, reduced price predictability, and stricter allocation measures across parts of the supply chain. At the same time, flexibility in responding to short-term demand fluctuations is declining, as production capacities at many manufacturers have already been committed for the long term. 

As a result, the market is undergoing a fundamental transformation. The era of freely available materials is increasingly being replaced by an allocation-driven economy. Companies without long-term supplier relationships, reliable forecasts, or qualified alternative materials will face not only higher costs but, in extreme cases, the risk of complete supply interruptions.

Supply security is therefore becoming a key competitive factor. Early procurement strategies, reliable demand forecasts, stable ordering patterns, and close collaboration across the entire supply chain are now essential. At the same time, the qualification of alternative materials and forward-looking project planning are gaining further importance.

“Through our close collaboration with customers, material suppliers, and technology partners, we gain early insights into changes in material availability, manufacturing capacities, and the stability of global supply chains. This transparency enables us to respond proactively to emerging developments and provide the best possible support to our customers,” says Manuel Mairhofer, Member of the Management Board of Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG. 
Daniel Jacob, CEO of STARTEAM GLOBAL, adds: “Our strong network across the entire supply chain helps us identify trends and challenges at an early stage. Together with our partners, we develop sustainable solutions that enable us to successfully address the demands of future markets.”

About the partnership between STARTEAM GLOBAL und Würth Elektronik:
STARTEAM GLOBAL and Würth Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG are committed to promoting technological exchange within the industry beyond their core manufacturing activities. This includes, among other initiatives, the integration of technologies from Notion Systems and Peters Group at FST Italy by STARTEAM GLOBAL, as well as joint participation with Würth Elektronik and Peters Group in the s.mask initiative. The objective is to advance innovation in PCB technology and foster open knowledge sharing throughout the PCB ecosystem. Following a successful roadshow held in the run-up to Productronica Munich, the s.mask initiative continued its activities in late 2025 through numerous technical expert discussions. These discussions focused on current challenges in PCB manufacturing and approaches for enabling smarter and more flexible production. The initiative aims to strengthen collaboration among industry partners and help position the PCB industry to be more resilient to future market changes.  
Today, STARTEAM GLOBAL and Würth Elektronik continue their joint commitment to actively promoting innovation, knowledge exchange, and collaboration throughout the PCB industry.

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