The latest MLCC industry survey by TrendForce indicates that driven by robust AI demand, in June 2026, the MLCC shipments of three major Japanese and South Korean manufacturers—Murata, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, and Taiyo Yuden—reached new single-month highs in the past five years. As these manufacturers shift their consumer-grade X5R production capacity to AI-oriented high-end specifications like X6S/X7R, the production capacity for consumer-grade medium-to-high capacitance MLCCs (1uF-22uF) is being squeezed, with inventory levels for mainstream part numbers generally falling below 30 days. As a result, there has been an increase in rush orders from channels, distributors, and Tier 2/3 customers, leading to an expanding spillover effect of orders. This has enhanced order visibility for other manufacturers, prompting a simultaneous rise in quotes. Distributors who had stocked up in advance seized the opportunity to raise product prices, with average increases of 20%-25%. Prices in the spot market have even surged to two to three times the original levels, resulting in a structural pattern in the consumer-grade MLCC market characterized by 'weak end-user demand but strong channel prices.'