[Samsung Electro-Mechanics Plans to Sign a 500 Billion KRW AI Server MLCC Mega-Deal, Partners with Sumitomo Chemical to Develop Glass Substrates] BlockBeats News, June 28: Samsung Electro-Mechanics is in final negotiations with a major U.S. tech company for a supply contract of MLCCs (Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors) for AI servers. The contract is valued at approximately 500 billion KRW, equivalent to 10% of the revenue from its components division last year, marking it as a mega-scale order. Industry insiders speculate that the client is a company with significant influence in the data center market. Each AI server requires 15,000 to 25,000 MLCCs, more than 10 times the amount used in a smartphone, with unit prices over three times higher than those for smartphone components. MLCCs are referred to as the "golden grains of the AI industry." Currently, Samsung Electro-Mechanics holds over 20% of the global MLCC market share, ranking second worldwide. This contract is expected to significantly enhance its influence in the AI server MLCC market. Industry experts believe this move essentially serves as a quality certification from a global "major buyer," which could prompt other large tech companies to follow suit in collaboration. In the glass substrate business, Samsung Electro-Mechanics is set to officially sign a joint venture agreement with Japan's Sumitomo Chemical this week. The two parties will jointly invest 500 billion KRW to establish a glass substrate joint venture, with Samsung Electro-Mechanics holding a majority stake and contributing approximately 300 billion KRW. The joint venture will be based at the Pyeongtaek factory of Sumitomo Chemical's Korean subsidiary, Dongwoo Fine-Chem, and is scheduled to begin production in early 2025. Glass substrates, which offer better heat resistance than traditional plastic substrates and can support more HBM and GPU components, are regarded as a "game-changer" in AI semiconductor packaging. Samsung Electro-Mechanics aims to secure a high-quality supply chain in advance for large-scale production, while Sumitomo Chemical seeks to enter the next-generation packaging materials market through this collaboration. [Original Article Link]