AI Demand Fuels High-End PCB Expansion as Robots Become Standard
An AI server motherboard typically carries more than 20 layers, while an HDI board for an AI accelerator card often requires fourth-order or higher processes. PCB has shifted from a mere "circuit carrier" to a key component determining the performance of computing systems, and its manufacturing methods are changing accordingly.
As AI infrastructure buildout accelerates, the PCB industry has kicked off a new wave of high-end capacity expansion. IDC forecasts global AI server shipments could top 2 million units in 2026, while TrendForce expects 28.3% year-on-year growth, with related PCBs generally rising to 20–30 layers or more.
According to an incomplete tally by Debon Securities, major global PCB makers have announced expansion plans worth 101.2 billion yuan since 2026, concentrated on high-multilayer and high-order HDI capacity for AI. Kinwong plans to invest about 4.388 billion yuan in an ultra-high-multilayer PCB smart manufacturing project, while Avary Holding's high-order HDI products have passed certification by mainstream server and cloud service providers and entered volume supply.
Xiong Yiyu, co-chief electronics analyst at Hua Chuang Securities, expects the tight supply-demand balance for high-end PCBs to last until 2028.
High-end PCB manufacturing is essentially an extreme test of precision and stability. How to grip thin, light boards, how to link high-speed loading and unloading cycles, and how to move panels between process steps — any deviation in these links can directly eat into yields.
Zeng Yangqing, board secretary of Guanghe Technology, told media that AI-related PCB products consume noticeably more equipment and process capacity than traditional ones: "For a board of the same area, AI products may consume 50% more equipment capacity than before."
Debon Securities' electronics team argues this round of expansion will not stop at factory buildings and conventional production equipment. Takt time, positioning accuracy, continuous-operation stability and product consistency each directly determine the efficiency and quality of the whole line — exactly where industrial robots and smart manufacturing equipment come in.
The team estimates demand for AI PCB equipment will reach 15.8 billion, 29.5 billion and 67 billion yuan in 2025, 2026 and 2027 respectively.
Among robotics companies, Yifei Technology is an early example of embedding scenarios directly into PCB production lines. The company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange main board in May 2026, billed as the first Hong Kong-listed full-category light-industry robotics firm and a national-level "little giant" enterprise; its portfolio spans parallel, SCARA, six-axis and mobile robots, with in-house development of body, control and vision systems.
According to its 2026 interim report, relying on self-developed high-speed parallel robot technology, Yifei has built deep experience in PCB automatic board loading and unloading and inspection, with cleaning and inspection steps in mass application. For high-end AI server high-speed and high-frequency boards it offers automation covering board handling, cleaning loading and unloading, inspection transport and process transfer.
Its robots now run at volume on the lines of leading domestic PCB makers including Kinwong, Shengyi Technology, Suntak Technology, Avary Holding, Meiko Electronics and WUS Printed Circuit.