What the Latest Market Data Is Telling Us

Recent data coming in still shows that global supply shifts continue to put pressure on lead times and pricing for essential components. And in a few categories, that pressure has increased: 

Memory is short on supply

Recent industry reporting shows DRAM, NAND, eMMC, and SSDs are now largely on allocation, with lead times stretching 26 to 52 weeks across major suppliers. Several have said plainly that they don't have enough inventory to support their current customer base — let alone take on new orders. If memory touches your BOM, this is no longer a "watch it" category but a "plan around it" category.

Standard discretes are following the same path 

MOSFETs, diodes, and transistors are showing lead times pushing toward 52 weeks, with pricing trending upward across nearly every line. These are the parts that show up on almost every BOM — the ones teams assume will always be available.

Tariffs are now a named driver for cost increases 

Some suppliers across connectivity, interconnect, and RF components are citing tariff impact directly in their pricing notices — not just "raw material costs," but tariff exposure specifically. 

Material shortages are causing PCB costs to increase

We’ve also seen PCB suppliers announcing price increases of 10–20% on laminate materials, driven by copper foil and glass cloth shortages. In some cases, lead times are also extending an additional 8 weeks due to supply shortage.

Battery costs are rising due to a shift in Chinese tax policy

China's export VAT rebate on lithium-ion batteries is being phased down. Its current 6% rebate stands until the end of 2026, and will be reduced to zero starting January 1, 2027. Because this reduction lowers the margin suppliers recover, battery prices are expected to rise. Teams should act quickly to procure lithium batteries before the rebate ends.

Chinese New Year is quickly approaching

Furthermore, Chinese New Year is coming up in early February 2027. During the holiday, manufacturing facilities across China (including SEACOMP China) will pause operations, leading to temporary production slowdowns and extended lead times.

What this means for your 2027 builds: Lead times keep extending, allocation keeps tightening, and costs keep climbing — and it's rarely the complex, custom parts causing the holdup. It's the standard components sitting on nearly every BOM. The teams that come out ahead in 2027 will be the ones who lock in supply and pricing now, before the next allocation cycle tightens further.

SEACOMP is here to help keep your production running smoothly. Reach out to us to discuss your 2027 forecast and the steps you can take to protect your timeline and your margin.