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The PCB market is currently undergoing a drastic shift. After a period of relative stability, we see that manufacturing capacity is tightening during next year, lead times are extending, and input costs are rising sharply. This is primarily driven by the explosive growth of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data center infrastructure, and a volatile commodities market.
The price of gold has driven manufacturing costs for ENIG (Electroless Nickel Immersion Gold) products up by as much as 37%. Even boards containing no gold are being significantly impacted due to copper and laminate increases having impacts of up to 10% increases.
While strategic procurement measures may have managed to delay the immediate impact of these rising input costs throughout 2025, the continued increases of raw material indexes make price adjustments unavoidable as we move into January 2026.
In our PCB Supply Chain Outlook 2026, we outline the macroeconomic drivers behind these changes and provide actionable strategies for procurement leaders to secure supply and manage costs in what is becoming a seller’s market.
