With the rapid advancement of AI computing infrastructure, new energy vehicles (NEVs), photovoltaic energy storage systems, industrial automation, and AI-enabled smart devices, electronic systems are placing increasingly demanding requirements on passive components. As one of the highest-volume and most widely used passive components in electronic hardware, MLCCs are no longer merely commodity components; they have become critical foundational devices that directly influence power supply stability, PCB design and layout, system reliability, and the efficiency of high-volume manufacturing.
Over the past few years, the MLCC market has experienced a prolonged downturn driven by weak consumer electronics demand, inventory destocking, and declining prices. However, as the industry enters a new growth cycle fueled by AI hardware and new energy applications, the market is becoming increasingly segmented. While demand for general-purpose, low-capacitance MLCCs continues to be influenced by the pace of recovery in the consumer electronics market, high-capacitance, miniaturized, high-reliability, and high-temperature MLCCs are regaining momentum, driven by growing demand from AI servers, AI accelerators, new energy vehicles (NEVs), industrial automation, and premium smart devices.
According to TrendForce’s April 2026 research, the MLCC market has entered a phase characterized by strong AI-driven demand alongside relatively weak consumer electronics demand. Its May 2026 report further noted that prices for certain low-capacitance consumer and automotive MLCCs had increased by 6% to 13%, prompting distributors to build inventory ahead of further price increases. Meanwhile, the high-end MLCC segment is being supported by orders from AI servers and data centers, leading to a tightening supply-demand balance and moderately higher prices expected in the second half of the year.
In this context, KYOCERA‘s KGM05 Series, a 47 μF high-capacitance MLCC in the 0402 package, represents more than just another product launch. It reflects the industry’s broader transition toward smaller form factors, higher capacitance, greater component density, and enhanced reliability. As an authorized distributor of KYOCERA products, Fortune Techgroup will continue to provide comprehensive support, including new product introduction (NPI), component selection, sample evaluation, BOM optimization, and stable high-volume supply, helping customers capitalize on the opportunities created by the rapid expansion of AI computing, new energy applications, and intelligent devices.
Key changes in the MLCC Market: From Price Cycles to Structural Upgrading
MLCCs are widely used in applications including power supply filtering, IC decoupling, signal coupling, energy storage buffering, EMI suppression, and power integrity design. Traditional market analysis has typically focused on overall MLCC shipments, inventory levels, and price fluctuations. However, at the current stage of industry development, these metrics alone are no longer sufficient to capture the market’s underlying dynamics.
The defining characteristic of the current market cycle is not a widespread shortage across all MLCC categories, but rather the increasingly demanding requirements that high-end applications place on specific MLCC specifications.
1. AI servers and AI accelerators have significantly increased the number of MLCCs required per circuit board. GPUs, AI ASICs, HBM, high-speed switch chips, and multi-phase power systems require a large number of low-ESR, low-ESL, high-capacitance decoupling and filtering capacitors to ensure stable low-voltage, high-current power delivery.
2. AI-powered devices are driving further miniaturization of PCB designs. AI smartphones, AI smart glasses, wearables, true wireless earbuds (TWS), AI companion devices, and AIoT products are placing increasingly demanding requirements on PCB footprint, component height, and mounting density. High-capacitance, miniaturized MLCCs help reduce the number of capacitors connected in parallel, improving space utilization.
3. New energy vehicles (NEVs) and industrial automation are driving demand for high-reliability, high-temperature MLCCs. Automotive electronics, battery management systems (BMS), industrial control boards, energy storage systems, and high-temperature operating environments require not only sufficient capacitance, but also thermal stability, long-term reliability, and a sustainable supply chain.
4. Distributors and OEMs are placing renewed emphasis on inventory strategies for critical components. As the market transitions from a low-price cycle to a more structurally segmented landscape, customers can no longer focus solely on achieving the lowest unit price. Instead, they must also consider lead times, qualification of alternative parts, manufacturer support, and long-term supply assurance for critical part numbers.
As a result, MLCCs are evolving from traditional general-purpose passive components into critical foundational components for AI computing, new energy applications, and high-end intelligent hardware.
High-Capacitance, Miniaturized MLCCs are becoming increasingly Important
As the performance of modern electronic systems continues to improve, power delivery design has become increasingly complex. AI processors, communication SoCs, processors, memory devices, PMICs, RF modules, and high-speed interfaces all require a stable, low-noise, and fast-response power supply. In these applications, MLCCs play a critical role in local decoupling, power filtering, and transient current support.
In conventional designs, when the capacitance of a single MLCC is insufficient, engineers typically connect multiple capacitors in parallel to achieve the required total capacitance. However, this approach introduces several challenges:
First, it occupies more PCB area, making it more difficult to achieve compact device designs.
Second, it increases the number of placement locations and solder joints, adding to manufacturing complexity.
Third, it increases BOM management complexity, resulting in greater inventory and procurement requirements.
Fourth, longer routing paths may degrade high-frequency decoupling performance.
Fifth, using multiple part numbers can increase the complexity of qualification for alternative components and create greater risks in maintaining production consistency during high-volume manufacturing.
The value of high-capacitance, miniaturized MLCCs lies in their ability to provide higher effective capacitance within the same (or even a smaller) package size. This enables customers to optimize PCB layouts, reduce the number of components in the BOM, improve power integrity, and free up valuable board space for overall product design.
This is precisely why high-capacitance, miniaturized MLCCs have become a key focus across AI computing hardware, new energy electronics, and intelligent devices.
KYOCERA KGM05 Series: Delivering 47 μF Capacitance in a 0402 Package
The KYOCERA KGM05 Series is a family of high-capacitance MLCCs designed for high-density electronic applications. According to information released by KYOCERA AVX, the series delivers 47 μF of capacitance in the EIA 0402 (1.0 mm × 0.5 mm) package with a maximum thickness of 0.8 mm. KYOCERA also announced that mass production of the series was scheduled to begin in December 2025.
Compared with conventional 0402 MLCCs, the KGM05 Series offers a significant increase in volumetric capacitance density. According to KYOCERA, the product achieves this through advanced materials and manufacturing technologies that further reduce the thickness of both the dielectric layers and internal electrodes. Within the same package size, the KGM05 Series provides approximately 2.1 times the capacitance of KYOCERA’s existing 22 μF product, helping reduce component count while supporting high-density PCB designs.
1. Small Package, High Capacitance for Greater Capacitance Density
By delivering 47 μF in a 0402 package, the KGM05 Series can replace some designs that rely on multiple low-capacitance MLCCs connected in parallel. For space-constrained applications such as AI devices, smartphones, wearables, communication modules, and compact circuit boards, this enables more efficient use of PCB space and greater layout flexibility.
2. Optimized for Low-Voltage, High-Current Power Architectures
The series is available with 2.5 VDC and 4 VDC voltage ratings, making it suitable for processor core power supplies, low-voltage power rails for AI processors, communication SoCs, baseband processors, and output filtering for PMICs. As supply voltages continue to decrease while current requirements increase, the importance of local decoupling networks continues to grow.
3. X5R and X6S Dielectric Options for Different Application Requirements
The KGM05 Series is available with X5R and X6S dielectric characteristics. X5R is suitable for conventional operating environments, including consumer electronics, intelligent devices, and communication modules. X6S supports operating temperatures of up to 105°C, making it better suited for AI server boards, industrial modules, and other high-temperature applications.
4. Simplifying BOM Management and Supply Chain Operations
High-capacitance, miniaturized MLCCs can reduce the number of capacitors connected in parallel, thereby lowering component placement count, solder joint count, and overall BOM complexity. For high-volume manufacturing, this not only simplifies hardware design but also improves the efficiency of procurement, inventory management, SMT assembly, testing, and alternative component qualification.
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