CCL Market Leader Announces 30% Price Hike

Japan-based semiconductor materials leader Resonac (formerly Showa Denko) has announced a significant price increase across its full range of copper clad laminates (CCL) and prepreg materials, with adjustments exceeding 30%.

According to Resonac, the decision is driven by tightening supply and sharp price increases for key raw materials such as copper foil and glass cloth, alongside rising labor and logistics costs. The new pricing will take effect on March 1, 2026. While the company has implemented multiple cost-control measures, it stated that the increase is necessary to ensure stable supply and to support ongoing investment in advanced materials and technologies.

CCL and prepreg are foundational materials used in the production of chip substrates and printed circuit boards (PCBs). These components are essential across a wide range of electronics, including high-performance processors, data center hardware, personal computers, and consumer electronics. Compared with conventional systems, AI semiconductor platforms require more components and larger, more complex packaging, which significantly raises demand for advanced substrate and PCB materials.

Resonac expects this trend to accelerate. The company projects that the global AI semiconductor market will expand from USD 136 billion in 2024 to USD 475 billion by 2028. Over the same period, Resonac estimates its addressable materials market will grow from USD 117 billion to USD 344 billion, implying a compound annual growth rate of around 31%.

Citing data from the Fuji Chimera Research Institute, Resonac highlighted its strong competitive position across multiple material segments. In 2023, the company ranked first globally in CCL market share, second worldwide in epoxy molding compounds (EMC), and held a leading position in solder resist materials used for large-scale package substrates. Resonac also maintains a top-tier share in non-conductive film (NCF) materials critical for HBM memory packaging, as well as in sheet-type thermal interface materials (TIM) for AI and high-performance chips. In addition, it leads the market for photosensitive insulating materials (PID) and ranks second in liquid underfill materials.

“We will continue to lead the semiconductor materials industry,” Resonac stated, emphasizing that many of its products already hold top market share across both traditional and AI-focused semiconductor applications.

The company has been preparing for this demand surge for some time. In March 2024, Resonac announced plans to expand production capacity for AI and high-performance semiconductor materials to 3.5 to 5 times then-current levels. The expansion focuses primarily on non-conductive films and thermal interface materials, both of which are already being used by customers in AI chip packaging.