Price increases are spreading through the passive components industry as clearer pricing signals from market leaders accelerate the trend across the supply chain. Products ranging from tantalum capacitors and ferrite bead inductors to chip resistors are seeing broad-based adjustments.

Taiwan-based Kenmec Mechanical Engineering celebrated its 50th anniversary on January 24, 2026, marking a significant evolution from a traditional engineering contractor to a technology platform leader. Under founder and president Frank Hsieh and chairman Kevn Hsieh, the company is positioning itself around four core sectors—smart manufacturing and logistics, semiconductors, public infrastructure, and AI robotics—which form the basis of its growth strategy through 2026.

The growing emphasis on power efficiency in cloud AI computing has drawn focus to the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) 800V supply chain, presenting notable opportunities and challenges within the semiconductor industry. According to sources from integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) and IC design houses, the market is currently dominated by established European and US players, making entry difficult for smaller companies.

Samsung Electronics is expected to begin shipping its sixth-generation high-bandwidth memory chips, known as HBM4, to Nvidia as early as February, Reuters reported, while South Korea’s Hankyung said shipments to both Nvidia and AMD could begin next month.