The first multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) became commercially available in 1965.1 While they’ve had moments of innovation, MLCCs are not a new technology. In a rather underappreciated role, MLCCs are tiny passive components that sit alongside semiconductor chips on a circuit board, holding small amounts of electricity and releasing it to keep power steady as demand fluctuates. They are embedded into almost every piece of technology in the global economy.
So why are MLCCs suddenly one of the most in-demand pieces of technology in the AI buildout?
The generative AI revolution has changed the trajectory of the global MLCC industry. AI accelerators draw enormous amounts of power, and they draw it unevenly as workloads shift. Keeping that power stable requires packing far more capacitors around each processor than a conventional server ever needed. Generally, an AI server requires several times more MLCCs than a general-purpose server.
Goldman Sachs Global Research estimates that the total addressable market for AI server MLCCs will grow at a ~34% compound annual growth rate from 2025 through 2030. If you converted this into US dollars (assuming a ~160 USD/JPY exchange rate), the industry could grow from $1.34 billion in 2025 to $5.76 billion in 2030.
Murata Manufacturing, one of the world's largest MLCC producers, has an outlook for AI server MLCC demand that we find especially compelling. The growth it projects is not coming from a higher forecast for AI data center construction. It is due to a rising concentration of MLCCs on each circuit board. At its 2025 investor day, Murata executives raised their outlook for capacitor count per AI server board, going from 10,000-20,000 to 15,000-25,000 per baseboard.
High end MLCCs carry higher average selling prices, and that is already showing up in margin estimates. Consensus operating margin forecasts for Murata Manufacturing and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, the two largest producers, have both risen sharply. AI server construction is sharply increasing the need for high end (high capacitance) MLCC components. If the market size for AI server MLCCs continues to grow, we believe this can drive further margin expansion within MLCC production leaders like Murata Manufacturing and Samsung Electro-Mechanics given the higher average selling prices (ASP) for high end models. For Murata specifically, Bank of America said “the steadily increasing contribution of high ASP AI server MLCCs to total MLCC sales should drive a significant improvement in the business profit margin of the overall Components segment.”2
With margins expected to potentially benefit from higher priced MLCCs being integrated into energy intensive AI hardware, net income is also expected to rise for global producers. As of 9/9/26, the Street expects net income for Murata, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Yageo and Taiyo Yuden to rise from $2.7 billion in 2025 to ~$11.5 billion by the end of 2028. That would be more than a four-fold increase, driven by both order growth and margin expansion.
Revenue growth is expected across the global MLCC supply chain, not just at the producers with the largest market share. Through 2028, consensus has every name in the group with analyst coverage growing revenue at a double-digit annual rate. What this tells us is that revenue growth is broad based throughout the industry, illustrative of AI server’s insatiable appetite for MLCCs wherever they can get them.
MLCCs ship in the trillions of units annually and volumes are rising. Meanwhile, a handful of Asian manufacturers make nearly all of them. Not one of the major producers trades on a U.S. exchange. The industry is concentrated in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and mainland China. This puts it out of reach for most investors.
This is where we see Roundhill MLCC & Electronic Components ETF (CCML) providing value. CCML seeks to offer hyper-precise exposure to a basket of global MLCC manufacturers that are not easily accessed by U.S. investors.
Learn more CCML, including current holdings, here: https://www.roundhillinvestments.com/etf/ccml/
1Murata Manufacturing, 11/28/2013: Technical Report Evolving Capacitors - Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors Part 1 Trend (part 1 of 2)
2Bank of America, 8/13/26: Murata Mfg (6981): MLCC growth accelerates, share price to reflect strong earnings; PO ¥10,200, Buy
Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses carefully before investing. For a prospectus or summary prospectus, if available, with this and other information about the Fund, please call 1-855-561-5728 or visit our website at www.roundhillinvestments.com/etf/ccml/. Read the prospectus or summary prospectus carefully before investing.
MLCC & Electronic Components Companies Risk. MLCC & Electronic Components Companies may be subject to rapid changes in technology, intense competition, government regulation, and obsolescence risk. Securities of such companies may be subject to greater price volatility than securities of companies in other sectors, particularly over the short term. The prices of securities of MLCC & Electronic Components Companies may fluctuate widely due to competitive pressures, cyclical demand patterns, changes in the regulatory environment, and shifts in supply and demand dynamics. Many MLCC & Electronic Components Companies operate in capital-intensive manufacturing segments that require significant ongoing investment in production capacity, advanced materials, and process technology, making them particularly sensitive to fluctuations in end-market demand and capacity utilization rates. The technologies in which these companies are engaged are subject to continuous evolution, including miniaturization requirements, higher layer counts, tighter tolerances, and increasingly complex substrate architectures, and there is no guarantee that any particular manufacturing process, materials platform, or packaging technology will maintain its competitive position or prove commercially viable over the long term. MLCC & Electronic Components Companies may also be dependent upon a limited number of large customers, particularly original equipment manufacturers and contract electronics manufacturers, and the loss of, or a significant reduction in orders from, any such customer could have a disproportionate impact on revenues. Moreover, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, lack of publicly available information, and political and social instability and may be subject to volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental influence. This may impact MLCC & Electronic Components Companies, particularly those in the information technology sector, as these companies are also subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure, which may negatively affect the value of a Fund's investments. Additionally, the growth and profitability of MLCC & Electronic Components Companies may be contingent upon the broader adoption of artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, 5G and advanced telecommunications infrastructure, electric vehicles, and advanced semiconductor packaging technologies. A slowdown or disruption in the growth of these related sectors, or a shift in industry standards, supply chain configurations, or trade policies—including tariffs, export controls, or restrictions on the sourcing of critical raw materials—could materially and adversely affect the revenues and profitability of MLCC & Electronic Components Companies in which the Fund invests.
Line of Business Risk. Certain companies included in the Fund's portfolio will be engaged in other lines of business unrelated to the development of MLCC and electronic component-related products, and these lines of business could adversely affect their operating results. The operating results of these companies may fluctuate as a result of these additional risks and events in the other lines of business. Despite a company's possible success in activities linked to its development of MLCC and electronic component-related products, there can be no assurance that the other lines of business in which these companies are engaged will not have an adverse effect on a company's business or financial condition.
Active Management Risk. The Fund is actively-managed and its performance reflects investment decisions that the Adviser and/or Sub-Adviser makes for the Fund. Such judgments about the Fund's investments may prove to be incorrect. If the investments selected and the strategies employed by the Fund fail to produce the intended results, the Fund could underperform as compared to other funds with similar investment objectives and/or strategies, or could have negative returns.
Asia Risk. The Fund invests significantly in the securities of Asian issuers. As such, the Fund is subject to certain risks specifically associated with investments in the securities of Asian issuers. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization, and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Some Asian economies are highly dependent on trade, and economic conditions in other countries within and outside Asia can impact these economies. Certain of these economies may be adversely affected by trade or policy disputes with its major trade partners. There is also a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of investors and financial intermediaries. Certain Asian countries have experienced and may in the future experience expropriation and nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, currency manipulation, political instability, armed conflict and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic, socio-economic and/or political unrest. This may be more likely to occur in the energy and information technology sectors. Additionally, escalated tensions involving North Korea and any outbreak of hostilities involving North Korea could have a severe adverse effect on Asian economies. Governments of certain Asian countries have exercised, and continue to exercise, substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector. In certain cases, the government owns or controls many companies, including the largest in the country. Accordingly, government actions could have a significant effect on the issuers of the Fund’s securities or on economic conditions generally. Recent developments in relations between the U.S. and China have heightened concerns of increased tariffs and restrictions on trade between the two countries. An increase in tariffs or trade restrictions, or even the threat of such developments, could lead to a significant reduction in international trade, which could have a negative impact on the economy of Asian countries and a commensurately negative impact on the Fund.
Concentration Risk. The Fund is concentrated in the industry or group of industries comprising the information technology sector. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund's investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector, market segment or asset class.
Emerging Markets Risk. The Fund's investments in emerging markets may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation, political turmoil and rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Emerging markets often have less uniformity in accounting and reporting requirements, unreliable securities valuation and greater risk associated with custody of securities.
Information Technology Companies Risk. Information technology companies face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Like other technology companies, information technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of information technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the information technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Information technology companies are facing increased government and regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory action.
International Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent securities held by the Fund trade on non-U.S. exchanges that are closed when the Fund’s primary listing exchange is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund’s quote from the closed foreign market) used for purposes of calculating the Fund’s NAV, resulting in premiums or discounts to the Fund’s NAV and bid/ask spreads that may be greater than those experienced by other funds. In addition, shareholders may not be able to purchase and sell shares of the Fund on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant foreign markets (e.g., market holidays, market trading halts or significant volatility in foreign markets).
New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized investment company with a limited operating history. As a result, prospective investors have a limited track record or history on which to base their investment decision.
Non-Diversification Risk. As a "non-diversified company," the Fund may hold a smaller number of portfolio securities than many other funds. To the extent the Fund invests in a relatively small number of issuers, a decline in the market value of a particular security held by the Fund may affect its value more than if it invested in a larger number of issuers. The value of the Fund Shares may be more volatile than the values of shares of more diversified funds.
Swap Agreements Risk. The Fund may utilize swap agreements to derive its exposure to MLCC & Electronic Components Companies. Swap agreements may involve greater risks than direct investment in securities as they may be leveraged and are subject to credit risk, counterparty risk and valuation risk. A swap agreement could result in losses if the underlying reference or asset does not perform as anticipated. In addition, many swaps trade over-the-counter and may be considered illiquid. It may not be possible for the Fund to liquidate a swap position at an advantageous time or price, which may result in significant losses.
Roundhill Financial Inc. serves as the investment advisor. The Funds are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC which is not affiliated with Roundhill Financial Inc., U.S. Bank, or any of their affiliates.