Where will the electronic intelligent manufacturing industry go in the second half of 2026

he main consumer electronics products such as mobile phones and computers are expected to rise in June 2026. Since the second quarter of this year, the global storage chip market has experienced an epic wave of price increases. The four drivers of energy storage, chips, new energy, and AI computing power have slowed down their growth rates, mainly due to the rising cost of electronic materials. The fundamental reason for the rise in electronic materials is the synchronous price increase of the entire chain of electronic specialty gases, silicon wafers, photoresist, wet electronic chemicals, target materials, and substrate materials. The entire downstream industry, including PCBs, boards, substrates, SMT patches, solder paste and strips, silver sea SMT steel mesh, fixtures, automation, etc., will have different impacts!

1、 Electronic special gas (the core force of this round of price increase)

1. Tungsten Hexafluoride (WF ₆, price leader)

Latest price: Domestic 5N grade 1670-1810 yuan/kg (1.67-1.81 million yuan/ton); Export price: 149.79 USD/kg

Increase: year-on-year+232.7%, with a cumulative increase of over 203% by 2026; Japanese and Korean manufacturers notify further increase of 70% -90% in the future

2、 Semiconductor silicon wafer (two consecutive price increases)

Global Shinetsu SUMCO、 The three major global wafer oligopolies will complete two rounds of price increases by 2026:

12 inch universal silicon wafer: cumulative price increase of 10% -15%, second round single round increase of 5% -8%;

AI/HPC high-end dedicated 12 inch silicon wafer: an increase of 18% -22%;

3、 Photoresist (monopolized by Japanese companies, continuously rising)

1. ArF high-end photoresist (advanced process)

JSR、 Tokyo Yinghua and Shinetsu Chemical have raised prices by 20% -30% and extended the supply cycle to 6-10 months; The localization rate is only 10%, with no alternative production capacity, and the highest increase in segmented categories within the year is 100% -150%.

2. KrF photoresist

The increase of 15% -25%, coupled with the expansion of mature 28-14nm processes, has led to an increase in procurement volume.

3. g/i line photoresist

Price increase of 8% -18%, spillover of demand for panels and power semiconductors, and synchronous price adjustments by domestic manufacturers.

4、 Wet electronic chemicals (with strong cost transmission and price increase)

1. G5 level electronic sulfuric acid (the largest consumable for wafer cleaning)

Increase by 50% -80% within the year, with the quotation rising from 15000 yuan/ton to 25000-30000 yuan/ton; Upstream sulfur prices have skyrocketed, with a 30% gap in high-end G5 production capacity and top orders scheduled for the third quarter.

2. Electronic grade hydrofluoric acid

The price will increase by about 40% within the year, and Korean companies will purchase in large quantities from China. It is expected to increase prices again in June and July.

3. Developing solution, stripping solution, etching solution

The entire line will be increased by 12% -35%, and the delivery cycle will be extended by 2-4 weeks.

5、 The wiring layers of AI chips with high computing power far exceed those of traditional chips, and the consumption of single target materials is increased by 1.8-2.5 times;

The price increase of high-purity metal raw materials combined with overseas manufacturers' control over quantity;

The overall increase is 15% -30%, with high-end tungsten and copper targets increasing by nearly 40%, and domestic enterprises accepting orders at full capacity.

6、 PCB/Carrier Board Supporting Semiconductor Materials (Driven by AI Server)

1. High end PPE/PPO resin (core material for high-frequency and high-speed copper-clad laminates)

At the beginning of the year, the price increased from 120000 yuan/ton to the current price of 600000 to 1 million yuan/ton, with a six-month increase of 400% to 800%; The production line and customer certification cycle is 2-3 years, with no new production capacity added in the short term. Nvidia's AI server carrier board needs to be locked tightly in balance.

2. 7628 electronic fiberglass cloth

Monthly price increase of 10% -12%, cumulative increase of 80% -150%; High end ultra-thin low Dk electronic fabric has seen a monthly increase of over 15%, and the production capacity of high-end carrier boards is saturated.

7、 Summary of commonalities in this round of price increases and subsequent predictions

1. Unified price increase driven by three factors

1) Rigid contraction of supply: Japanese companies proactively shut down core production lines, overseas giants strictly control capital expenditures, expansion cycles of 18-36 months, and the gap cannot be filled in the short term; 2) Explosive demand: HBM, AI computing chips, and automotive power chips are simultaneously expanding production, and global wafer fabs are operating at full capacity; 3) Upstream raw material prices have skyrocketed: the source prices of tungsten, sulfur, and high-purity rare metals have increased several times, and material manufacturers have the ability to adjust prices on a monthly basis.

8、 Bankruptcy wave and industrial transfer

The imitation+assembly+low-priced internalization model that was prevalent in the consumer electronics industry in the past will be transferred to Southeast Asia in the future.

With China's rapid development, rising labor costs, rising prices, and increasingly strict environmental requirements have affected the profit margins of foreign enterprises. Due to the complete industrial system, perfect supply chain, and massive talent preparation in our country, we are working together to promote the upgrading of our mid to high end industries. Eliminating low-end industries, Southeast Asia will replicate China in the 1980s!