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ABF is an insulating film used to build fine-circuit layers in some advanced semiconductor package substrates—not the substrate itself, and not a material confirmed to be inside every AI accelerator. Ajinomoto has announced a new production site planned to begin operating in 2032, while a September 2026 trade report describes near-term supply constraints; the company has not publicly quantified a current shortfall or the new site’s eventual output.
What is an ABF substrate?
ABF, or Ajinomoto Build-up Film, is a specialized insulating material used in multilayer package substrates. The film separates successive layers of fine copper circuitry as those layers are built up around a semiconductor package. It is one material within the substrate, not another name for the whole substrate or for the chip.
In a package, the substrate helps connect the chip’s very small terminals to the larger terminals used to connect the package to a printed circuit board. Ajinomoto says ABF’s surface can be laser processed and directly copper plated, enabling the formation of fine circuits. The company says a major semiconductor maker first adopted ABF in 1999 and describes it as a standard material for high-performance CPU substrates.
That history does not establish that every AI accelerator uses ABF. The available public material supports its use in high-performance CPU and advanced-package contexts, but not a universal claim about all accelerators.
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Why does AI increase demand for ABF?
AI-related demand can raise pressure on ABF through both the number of chips being packaged and the amount of material needed per package. Ajinomoto identifies high-performance computing, AI applications, multi-chip packages, and 3D IC packages as growth areas. It also says larger, more complex IC packages require more ABF per IC.
This makes package complexity an important part of the supply picture. If a package grows in footprint or uses more build-up layers, the material and manufacturing requirements can change even without a proportional increase in chip count. At the same time, chip volume alone does not reveal how much ABF is needed: that depends on package designs and the output that suppliers can manufacture and qualify.
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Why are ABF substrates reported to be in short supply?
A September 10, 2026 Tom’s Hardware feature reports that ABF film capacity was fully loaded in the second quarter of 2026. It also describes constraints involving glass cloth and other materials, substrate equipment, large-format factories, manufacturing yield, and customer-qualified output. These are claims attributed to that secondary report, rather than utilization or shortage figures confirmed in Ajinomoto’s public factory announcement.
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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The distinction between nominal capacity and usable supply matters. A substrate maker needs the relevant inputs and equipment, must produce acceptable yields, and must supply output that customers have qualified. A constraint at any of those stages can limit the amount available to customers; a reported full-load condition alone does not quantify the market-wide gap.
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Ajinomoto’s public announcement confirms that it plans to expand capacity in response to expected demand after 2030. It does not state that current ABF capacity is fully utilized, specify the size of a present shortfall, or quantify how much additional output the new site will provide.
How does AI demand affect substrate size and layer count?
The same Tom’s Hardware feature reports the following Ibiden roadmap for substrate dimensions and build-up structures. These figures are attributed to the report because the original Ibiden roadmap is not established here as independently verified.
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| Roadmap timing | Substrate size, as reported | Build-up structure, as reported | Attribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 90 × 90 mm | 10-X-10 | Ibiden roadmap, reported by Tom’s Hardware, September 2026 |
| 2028 | 110 × 110 mm | 12-X-12 | Ibiden roadmap, reported by Tom’s Hardware, September 2026 |
| From 2030 | 130 × 130 mm or larger | 14-X-14 | Ibiden roadmap, reported by Tom’s Hardware, September 2026 |
Larger dimensions and more build-up layers indicate a move toward more demanding package structures; they are not, by themselves, a complete measure of ABF consumption or of how much qualified substrate output will reach customers. The available reporting does not provide a comparable, complete capacity and yield dataset across suppliers.
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Ajinomoto announced on May 7, 2026 that it had acquired a site in Kani City, Gifu Prefecture, for a third ABF production base. The company’s plan is to start construction in 2028 and begin operation in 2032. It presents the project as a response to demand expected after 2030 and as a way to expand capacity and business continuity. The planned site is separated from the existing Kawasaki and Gunma plants for continuity purposes.
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The announcement does not disclose the site’s production capacity, the pace of its commissioning ramp, or a site-level production target. Its 2032 operating plan therefore signals a long-lead capacity addition, but it does not show how much material will be available in any particular year or resolve constraints reported for 2026.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What do Ajinomoto’s shipment figures show?
Ajinomoto’s May 2024 investor presentation gives a company index of ABF shipment volume. The index uses FY2017 as 100; FY2025 is a plan in the presentation, not a confirmed result for that year.
| Fiscal year | ABF shipment-volume index | Status in Ajinomoto’s May 2024 presentation |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 100 | Index base |
| FY2021 | 190 | Index value shown |
| FY2025 | 345 | Plan, not a realized result established by the presentation |
The presentation describes approximately 18% compound annual growth in ABF shipment volume from FY2020 through FY2025. This is Ajinomoto’s company figure and forecast, with the endpoint expressed as a plan; it should not be read as a verified actual growth rate through FY2025.
What is confirmed—and what remains uncertain?
- Confirmed by Ajinomoto: ABF is an insulating film used in package substrates; the company identifies AI and other advanced-package applications as growth areas; and a third site is planned in Kani, with construction in 2028 and operation in 2032.
- Reported by Tom’s Hardware: ABF film capacity was fully loaded in Q2 2026, alongside constraints across materials, equipment, factories, yield, and qualified output; it also reports Ibiden’s substrate-size and layer-count roadmap.
- Not specified in the cited public announcements: the Kani site’s eventual output, a quantified current ABF market shortfall, the commissioning ramp, and a complete supplier-by-supplier comparison of capacity, yield, and customer-qualified supply.
Ajinomoto’s 2025 ASV Report calls ABF an essential insulating material for high-performance semiconductors and describes the company’s market position as an “overwhelming share.” That is the company’s characterization, not a quantified market-share figure. The report also says Ajinomoto is developing ABF for photonic-electronic co-package substrates, a development direction rather than a stated production-capacity milestone.
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