HP and Dell Express Concern Over PCB Supply in 2027 as Amazon Invests in Golden Image

ChainCatcher report: The shortage triggered by the AI boom has expanded from GPUs and memory to circuit boards. When HP and Dell planned their 2027 supply chains, they discovered that even previously overlooked printed circuit boards may face shortages. In September of this year, Amazon invested approximately NT$1.59 billion to become a shareholder in Taiwan-based circuit board manufacturer Golden Image Electronics, transitioning from customer to investor. AI servers require circuit boards with more layers and lower signal loss, while chip packaging substrates are growing larger, driving up demand for key materials such as specialty fiberglass cloth and copper-clad laminates. Suppliers are prioritizing higher-margin AI orders, leaving conventional server orders squeezed—lead times for some standard server circuit boards have approached one year. Capacity for critical materials cannot quickly catch up with demand. TrendForce estimates that Japan’s Nittobo controls about 90% of the global T-glass specialty fiberglass market, with new capacity not expected to come online until mid-2027. On October 20, the chairman of Taiwan’s Unimicron warned that by 2027, certain key materials may face shortages of around 20%, and lead times for some chip substrate manufacturing equipment could extend to as long as 30 months.