KB LAMINATES (01888) surged 8.80% during intraday trading on Monday, as a rally in printed circuit board (PCB) stocks gained momentum amid reports of a supply shortage for high-end PCBs fueled by surging AI computing demand.

CCTV Finance reported that the surge in AI computing has created a supply crunch for high-end PCBs, pushing prices steadily higher, with leading manufacturers already having secured orders through 2027. The price increase for high-speed PCBs, used primarily in large-scale computing server motherboards, has far exceeded three to four times, according to a mainboard production company manager.

Analysts from CITIC Securities noted that with rising demand for orthogonal backplanes and advanced packaging upgrades, PCBs will increasingly resemble semiconductors, and their value will keep climbing. China Galaxy Securities also believes that strong demand for high-multi-layer PCBs and HDI will continue to benefit companies along the industrial chain, as AI development progresses.