China has raised fiber prices for Russian customers 2.5–4 times

Since the beginning of 2026, Chinese manufacturers have increased the cost of fiber for customers from Russia by 2.5–4 times due to the global shortage. This was reported to the Vedomosti newspaper on February 26 by market participants.

According to Leonid Konik, CEO of ComNews Group, China produces more than 60% of fiber, so Russian buyers have to rely on domestic pricing of these products.

He noted that at the beginning of 2025, the cable price was 16 yuan (about 180 rubles) per 1 km, by the end of the year it had increased to 25 yuan (about 280 rubles) per 1 km, and in January 2026 — 40 yuan (about 440 rubles).

At the same time, experts note that fiber prices are rising not only in China and Russia, but also around the world. According to Alexander Smilgevich, CEO of Inkab, the demand for cables is growing from the defense industry and large technology companies that develop artificial intelligence. He added that price tensions in this industry may persist until 2027.

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The Financial Times newspaper reported on January 1 that the growing demand for memory chips and chips for artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in 2026, global consumer electronics prices will increase by an average of 20%. According to analysts, the global construction of data centers to support AI models has led to increased demand for high-bandwidth memory chips, which has led manufacturers to focus less on lower-end semiconductors used in consumer electronics.

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