PCB Market Trends and Forecast Through 2026 Ⅴ

IC substrates have a significantly higher technological threshold compared to standard PCBs. They are developed based on HDI board technology and share certain similarities, but their complexity is much greater. Compared to traditional PCBs, IC substrates feature higher density, precision, I/O count, performance, miniaturization, and thinner profiles. They demand more stringent technical parameters—especially in critical aspects like line width/spacing (L/S), which are considerably smaller than those of other PCB types.
Driven by the increasing share of high-end smartphones, the rapid expansion of the memory chip market, and the gradual ramp-up in automotive chip production, the global IC substrate market rebounded significantly after bottoming out in 2017. The market size reached approximately USD 10.083 billion in 2021, with a CAGR of 10.88% from 2017 to 2021. It is expected to reach USD 15.517 billion by 2026, with a projected CAGR of 9% between 2021 and 2026.
Currently, the global production capacity for IC substrates is mainly concentrated in East Asia, with Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan being the most advanced and densely concentrated regions for IC substrate manufacturing. As PCB production capacity gradually shifts, some IC substrate manufacturers have begun establishing facilities in Mainland China.