After memory, GPUs, and SSDs, the shortage now reaches a much less flashy but essential component: the printed circuit board (PCB). According to a Nikkei Asia report summarized in the October 29, 2026, news item, some PCB orders already take up to 30 months to complete, and delivery times for certain products have doubled.
The problem is not just manufacturing capacity, but materials too. A Taiwanese PC maker noted that the price of copper-clad laminate (CCL), the base of every board, has risen at least twelvefold since July, and a leading laminate supplier reportedly has its order book covered through 2030, despite plans to triple capacity in 2028.
The strain is explained by AI servers using large boards with many layers and specialized materials, and their buyers pay more for that capacity. That leaves traditional PC makers competing for the remaining capacity, even in a year when PC sales could fall again. The source itself warns that several figures come from anonymous executives, not published price lists.
Source: Hardware Busters (https://hwbusters.com/news/ai-servers-trigger-a-pcb-shortage-for-pc-makers-with-lead-times-stretching-to-30-months/)
