As demand for AI servers soars, leading Japanese and South Korean multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) makers are shifting further upmarket, opening the door for Chinese competitors to gain share in lower-end segments despite lagging their rivals in advanced technology.MLCCs – often referred to as the “rice of the electronics industry” because of their ubiquity – are tiny electronic components that regulate and stabilise electrical currents in devices ranging from smartphones and electric vehicles to AI servers and data centres.In what Goldman Sachs has described as “the largest and longest cycle in history”, leading Japanese and South Korean manufacturers are being…