The supply-demand imbalance in the Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitor (MLCC) market is intensifying. Samsung Electro-Mechanics' entire MLCC product line, including low-capacity, high-capacity, and automotive-grade MLCCs, saw lead times extend to 52 weeks in October, meaning customers must wait a year after placing an order. Concurrently, Taiwan-based YAGEO's main MLCC products also maintain lead times of 30 to 52 weeks. Both companies are sustaining price increases, jointly driving the current upward price trend. Data from Mirae Asset Securities in South Korea indicates that extended lead times are widespread, suggesting a broader structural basis for the supply shortage. The market generally expects the tight supply-demand situation to persist until new production capacity comes online, further strengthening MLCC suppliers' pricing power. The supply shortage is primarily driven by structural demand from AI servers, which incorporate more than 10 times the number of MLCCs compared to conventional servers. Samsung Electro-Mechanics' MLCC business achieved a capacity utilization rate of 91% in the first half of the year, nearing full capacity, but expansion at its Philippine factory is not expected to reach mass production until after 2027. This year, Samsung Electro-Mechanics' MLCC-related orders have accumulated to approximately 2.4 trillion Korean Won. IBK Investment & Securities in South Korea anticipates that rising MLCC average selling prices will lead to continuous upward revisions in Samsung Electro-Mechanics' earnings forecasts, with operating profit potentially increasing to 4.4 trillion Korean Won in 2026.