招商电子·2026-01-26 01:15Core Viewpoint - The PCB sector is experiencing significant performance growth driven by AI demand, with several key investment themes identified for 2023 [1][2]. Investment Themes - PCB Upgrade Trend: The commercialization of CoWoP technology is accelerating, leading to a new round of upgrades in AI PCB products. mSAP capacity, equipment, and technical capabilities will become higher competitive thresholds for PCB manufacturers, presenting investment opportunities across the mSAP supply chain [1][2]. - CCL Upgrade from M8 to M9: The transition from M8 to M9 CCL is a definitive trend, with an increasing number of GPUs, ASIC servers, and 1.6T switches adopting M9 CCL. The usage of Q fabric, HVLP 3-4, and hydrocarbon resins will continue to rise rapidly [1][2]. - Upstream Material Price Increases: The price of upstream materials is still in an upward cycle, which is expected to further improve profitability [1][3]. - Rising Demand for Substrates: Demand for BT substrates is increasing, with continuous price hikes, while ABF substrate demand is beginning to overflow to domestic manufacturers [1][4]. Market Performance - The PCB sector's performance has exceeded market expectations, particularly in the upstream materials and equipment segments, driven by global AI PCB capacity expansion. Companies like Jin'an Guoji and Huazheng New Materials in the CCL segment, and Dazhu CNC and Chipbase in the equipment segment, have shown significant excess returns [2]. Price Trends - The CCL industry average price has increased by 20%-30% in 2025, with expectations for further price hikes in 2026 potentially exceeding those of 2025 due to supply-demand dynamics and raw material price trends [3]. Demand Dynamics - The global AI data center's storage demand is robust, with TSMC's capital expenditure for 2026 projected at $52-56 billion, significantly above market expectations. This indicates a strong upward trend in storage chip demand, leading to continuous price increases for BT substrates and the overflow of ABF substrate demand to domestic suppliers [4].