Published: April 29, 2026
A missile strike disabled Saudi Arabia’s core PPE resin plant operated by SABIC, the world’s top supplier of high-purity PPE resin, a core raw material for AI server high-frequency PCB substrates. The facility accounts for nearly 70% of global PPE output and remains offline, extending material lead times from 3 weeks to 15 weeks. Coupled with a 30% year-to-date copper foil price surge, the upstream raw material chain faces severe cost inflation. Global data center infrastructure expansion amplifies tight demand for high-end PCB base materials, pushing laminate input costs to record highs across the electronics supply chain.