Japanese Component Giant Murata Announces ¥1 Trillion Investment to Expand MLCC Capacity for AI Data Centers
Murata plans to invest ¥1 trillion over five years to double its annual MLCC capacity growth rate to 20% amid surging AI demand.
Japanese electronic component manufacturer Murata Manufacturing announced on October 30, 2026, during its second-quarter earnings briefing, that it plans to invest approximately ¥1 trillion in its multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) business between fiscal years 2026 and 2030 to meet growing demand from AI data centers and other sectors. President Norio Nakajima described this as the biggest opportunity since the company's founding.
Under the new plan, Murata will increase its annual MLCC production capacity growth rate to approximately 20% for fiscal years 2027 and 2028, up from the previously planned 10%, aiming to raise total capacity by about 60% by fiscal year 2030. Of the ¥1 trillion investment, roughly ¥350 billion is allocated for building construction and ¥650 billion for production equipment. Murata currently holds about 40% of the global MLCC market share.
The expansion primarily targets high-capacity, miniaturized, and high-voltage MLCCs used in AI servers and optical communications. Nakajima noted that while AI data center demand might plateau around 2030, subsequent adoption in humanoid robots, autonomous vehicles, and drones will continue to drive market growth, making the long-term risk of such large-scale investment manageable.
Concurrently released financial results showed Murata's sales for April–September 2026 reached ¥1.0907 trillion, up 20.8% year-on-year, with net profit rising 40.6% to ¥186.1 billion. The company raised its full-year guidance for fiscal 2027 (ending March 2027) to ¥2.26 trillion in sales and ¥396 billion in net profit.