Chinese printed circuit board makers are quoting 2028 delivery dates for orders placed last month, the latest sign that an AI-driven laminate crunch is tightening the electronics supply chain.
A single AI server rack can carry up to 10,000 boards, and that demand is colliding with a broken supply base. Saudi Arabia’s Jubail petrochemical complex, which covers about 70 percent of the world’s high-purity PPE resin used in laminates, has been offline since March because of Middle East conflict, according to Electronics Weekly.
Epoxy resin lead times have stretched from three weeks to fifteen, and even standard FR-4 materials now take six to eight weeks instead of two to three. Advanced low-loss laminates run fourteen to eighteen weeks.
Copper-clad laminate prices have climbed 70 percent year over year, and some reports show 40 percent jumps within a single month. Year over year, the India Printed Circuit Association sees copper-clad laminate costs up by more than 300 percent.
New capacity arriving in late 2026 and 2027 is largely pre-allocated to AI customers, so the squeeze is expected to persist well into 2027 for everyone else. Trade groups caution that output could drop 30 to 40 percent over the next three months if supply stays tight.
ELCINA and IPCA’s ELCINA and IPCA associations have asked the government for temporary measures to support manufacturers.
