The rise in demand for CPUs for agentic AI computing appears to be affecting the substrate supply chain as well. Media and analyst attention shifted to CPUs following Intel's earnings report earlier this year, which saw the firm claim that the requirements of agentic AI computing would reinvigorate the focus of AI companies on CPUs. Now, data from Japanese printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturer Ibiden's data shows that the impact of this demand is already being felt upstream in the supply chain as the firm forecasts a bump in demand for its general-purpose server products in 2026.
Evolution In AI Chip Requirements Leads To Growth In CPU Substrate Demand, Says Japanese Supplier
Ibiden caters to the needs of the AI industry through its Electronics segment, which provides integrated circuit (IC) package substrates. These substrates connect the chip to the printed circuit board (PCB) and are one of the many components in the upstream AI supply chain. Ibiden's products cater to the needs of AI GPUs, CPUs, and application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). ASICs are custom AI chips that are developed by firms such as Broadcom, and they often function alongside NVIDIA's high-performance chips.
Ibiden's financial results for the fiscal year ending on March 31st reveal details about the latest state of the AI market. They show demand forecasts for the different kinds of AI chips, with the firm commenting that it expects CPU demand to grow in the coming months and years.
![A bar and waterfall chart titled '[Electronics Segment] FY26: Changes from the previous disclosure (disclosed on October 31)' shows a net sales forecast increase from 310.0 to 330.0 billion JPY and operating profit increase from 57.0 to 75.0 billion JPY.](https://cdn.wccftech.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Screenshot-2026-05-14-at-2.10.55-AM.jpg)
Ibiden Expects Significant Bump In Demand Due To AI Server, General Purpose & ASIC Chips
For its fiscal year 2026, which ends in March 2027, Ibiden now expects to rake in 330 billion Japanese Yen for its Electronics segment, which caters to the substrate market. This is a jump from the earlier forecast for 310 billion Yen, with the jump being powered by general-purpose server products and switching IC products. Within these, the general-purpose products serve the needs of the CPU market for server use.
In another slide, Ibiden claims that due to "transitions from training to intelligence," the "demand for CPUs for general-purpose servers is expected to increase." To cater to this demand, the firm expects to grow its production capacity. The firm expects that for calendar year 2026, its production load should be 1.8 times the load for 2024. This load is expected to sit at 2.4x for 2028, with growth in ASICs, AI servers and server CPUs expected to drive this growth, while the demand for PCs is expected to dip.
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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