April 26 Blog: Current Events: PCB Production Capacity at Full Tilt! Why Has the Rise of AI and High-End Substrates Unexpectedly Sparked a Surge in Demand for Tungsten?
Recently, the hottest topics of discussion—whether among manufacturers or buyers—have been “PCB manufacturers operating at full capacity” and “raw material shortages.”
According to the latest forecast data from Prismark, a leading global PCB research firm, the global PCB market value is expected to exceed $95.7 billion in 2026, representing a year-over-year growth of 12.5%. In particular, the market size for AI server PCBs has doubled, with leading manufacturers’ high-end production lines operating at full capacity and order lead times stretching as long as 20 weeks. Meanwhile, orders for IC substrates have surged by a staggering 280% year-over-year.
As the core carrier in high-end electronics manufacturing, PCBs are rapidly evolving toward higher density, higher frequency and speed, and greater reliability, driven by technological upgrades in industries such as AI computing power, advanced packaging, and electric vehicles (EVs). Behind this wave of hardware upgrades lies a key strategic metal with irreplaceable physical properties—tungsten—which is becoming a major bottleneck in high-end PCB manufacturing. The tight balance between supply and demand is reshaping the industry’s fundamentals.
