Murata to Discontinue Selected MLCCs by 2029

According to Murata Manufacturing, the company has issued end-of-life (EOL) notices covering selected specifications across nine MLCC series. The affected products span general-purpose components for consumer electronics as well as MLCCs used in automotive and radio-frequency (RF) applications.

The EOL notice covers selected specifications from the GRM, GRJ, GRT, GXM, GXT, GCM, GCJ, GCG, and ZRA series. Murata is expected to accept final orders through March 31, 2028, with final shipments scheduled for March 31, 2029.

Industry sources estimate that the discontinued products could represent approximately 10% to 20% of Murata's revenue. With Murata's annual group revenue at around ¥1.8 trillion and MLCCs accounting for more than half of its total revenue, the product transition could create a significant redistribution of demand across the MLCC market.

The move also highlights Murata's ongoing shift away from larger-size, lower-capacitance MLCCs toward smaller-size, higher-capacitance products. This strategy reflects the industry's broader focus on higher-value components and applications with stronger growth and profitability potential.

Market observers believe Murata's decision could influence other major Japanese and South Korean MLCC manufacturers, particularly Samsung Electro-Mechanics, to reconsider their product portfolios and manufacturing capacity. If similar EOL actions follow, component manufacturers in Taiwan with substantial MLCC production capacity could potentially benefit from increased demand for replacement products.

Murata's latest move also recalls an earlier restructuring cycle in the MLCC industry. In October 2016, TDK announced the discontinuation of approximately 280 part numbers as it shifted production toward automotive-grade MLCCs. Murata subsequently discontinued selected large-size MLCC products, contributing to the strong MLCC market cycle that emerged around 2018.

The current AI infrastructure boom could create an even more significant shift in MLCC demand. AI servers require higher component density and increasingly sophisticated power and signal-management architectures, driving demand for MLCCs with higher capacitance, smaller package sizes, and more demanding performance characteristics.

Against this backdrop, Murata's EOL announcement could accelerate the restructuring of the global MLCC market and further encourage manufacturers to prioritize high-capacitance, compact, automotive, and other higher-value MLCC products.