Murata Commits ¥1T Over 5 Years to Double MLCC Output for AI

Murata Manufacturing will spend ¥1 trillion ($6.3 billion) over five years to expand multilayer ceramic capacitor production in Japan, the Philippines, China and Thailand, Nikkei Asia reported.

The ceramic components sit by the thousand under every AI server board. Each AI server uses between 15,000 and 25,000 MLCCs, up from a 10,000-20,000 range the company cited previously, and Murata holds roughly 40% of the global MLCC market. Nikkei notes that "data center-linked demand for MLCCs is surging."

The spend splits roughly ¥650 billion toward production equipment and ¥350 billion toward construction, with MLCC sales targeted to double by fiscal 2030 against fiscal 2025. The company says the expanded capacity will also feed edge devices, mobility and robotics alongside AI servers.

Utilization on Murata's high-end lines is already running above 90%, and the company has revised its consolidated net profit forecast upward to ¥338 billion for the fiscal year ending March 2027, from ¥293 billion previously. The announcement adds to a steady run of AI infrastructure capital stories moving through our AI infrastructure feed, where multi-billion-dollar component and build-out commitments have become a near-daily feature.

Nikkei credits the move to data-center demand while acknowledging questions about the durability of the AI buildout. The filing does not disclose how much of the ¥1 trillion flows to new fabs versus retooling existing Japanese lines, nor what share of the expanded output is already pre-committed to specific customers.