As cloud service providers (CSPs) ramp up efforts to develop their own custom chips (ASICs), ASICs are emerging as a key architecture alongside GPUs in AI servers. This shift is driving strong demand for high-end PCBs, and Taiwan's five leading PCB makers—Zhen Ding (TPE: 4958), Unimicron (TPE: 3037), Tripod Technology (TPE: 3044), Gold Circuit Electronics (TPE: 2368), and ALLIED CIRCUIT (ACCL, 8155.TWO)—are actively expanding their presence in the ASIC supply chain with clear strategic deployments.

The server market is projected to grow by 10% year-over-year in 2025, reaching 13 million units. AI servers are expected to account for 77% of total server market value and 12% of shipments. Industry sources note that, compared to GPUs, ASICs require higher levels of customization, which imposes stricter demands on PCB manufacturers in design, yield rates, delivery flexibility, and lead time control. Taiwanese makers with strong technical capabilities and manufacturing scale are well positioned to benefit.

Zhen Ding is seeing growing demand for its high-layer-count HDI boards and IC substrates used in AI applications. Its 20–30+ layer rigid boards are expected to be a growth driver over the next one to two years, with AI server shipments reaching up to 50,000 units per month. For advanced packaging substrates, including 2.5D and 3D structures, ASIC-related orders already account for 60% of its Q2 intake, with demand expected to surge again by 2026.

Unimicron anticipates parallel growth in AI server deployment and ASIC chip design, boosting shipments of both ABF substrates and PCBs. The company has a positive outlook for the second half of the year, already delivering substrates for NVIDIA's GB200 and planning investments for the next-generation GB300. It is also targeting new projects in the AI server and ASIC platform space to support full-year revenue growth.

Tripod Technology is strategically focusing on the "non-NVIDIA" AI segment, particularly Intel's Birch Stream and AMD's Turin platforms. The company has secured orders from three of the four major CSPs and aims to win additional projects from a major U.S. CSP in the second half of the year. Server-related revenue is projected to grow over 20% in 2025. Its server boards are primarily produced in Taiwan, with a new plant in Vietnam set to begin equipment installation later this year and contribute to revenue starting in 2026.

Gold Circuit Electronics has entered the supply chain of all four major CSPs and is a key supplier of ASIC server motherboards and multilayer UBB (Universal Baseboard) PCBs. AI server-related revenue accounts for around 20% of its total, with urgent orders from ASIC customers on the rise. The company is expanding production capacity in response, with new lines at its Suzhou plant coming online in Q3. Its new plant in Thailand will also begin phase-one mass production in the second half, contributing an estimated NT$300 million in monthly revenue. Phase two is slated for 2026.

With growing demand for AI-focused hardware customization, Taiwan's top PCB makers are poised to play an increasingly vital role in the global ASIC supply chain.