If you've ever specified a tantalum capacitor, you know the name Kemet. I do too. I review component specs for a living—roughly 200 unique part numbers a year—and Kemet shows up on my desk more often than most brands. If your search was "what is Kemet doing now," here's the short answer: Kemet Electronics Corporation is still a real supplier, but it's now part of Yageo, and its MLCC side is a much bigger story than many engineers realize.
And if you've typed "Kemet phones, inc" hoping for a phone maker, let me stop you there. Kemet doesn't build phones. The "Inc." is just a corporate label. But your phone is full of ceramic capacitors, so Kemet's MLCCs are closer to the phone world than you might think.
To make this useful, I'm going to compare two versions of the company. Old Kemet: the independent tantalum specialist. New Kemet: the Yageo-owned, broad-line passive component business. Same name, different reality. I'll look at ownership, product mix, and what actually changes on your approved vendor list.
Dimension 1: The Independent Tantalum House vs. the Yageo Portfolio
The old Kemet was a public company. If I remember correctly, the stock ticker was KEM on NYSE, and the company had a well-earned identity around tantalum capacitors. Kemet was the name on high-reliability tantalum specs, and it was the default answer for a lot of legacy military and industrial boards.
The new Kemet is part of Yageo. The acquisition closed in 2020, and Yageo's official announcement made clear that the Kemet brand would continue. Kemet Electronics Corporation still exists as a legal entity and still ships the same family of part numbers. But the product roadmap is now set inside a much larger passive components group.
Everything I'd read about Yageo said it was primarily an MLCC scale player. In practice, I found the acquisition helped Kemet's ceramic side get more attention while the tantalum line stayed stable. Does this matter to a quality reviewer? Yes, mostly on the supply chain side. A Kemet part number is still a Kemet part number, but I have to check whether a given ceramic cap is marketed under Kemet, Yageo, or both. Sometimes they're cross-listed; sometimes they aren't. The logo on the packaging is not enough.
My conclusion on dimension 1: if you're waiting for Kemet to become an independent company again, stop waiting. It isn't going to happen. What Kemet is doing now is being a brand within Yageo.
Dimension 2: Tantalum Reputation vs. MLCC Scale
Old Kemet was basically the tantalum company. If I opened a Kemet sample box a decade ago, I expected polymer tantalum parts, military reliability data, and a datasheet that looked more like a small book. That reputation was earned. A lot of engineers still think of Kemet that way.
New Kemet makes a serious portfolio of MLCCs. Ceramic capacitors are not a side line anymore. Kemet offers X5R, X7R, C0G, automotive-grade, flexible termination, high-temperature, and stacked ceramic parts under its KONNEKT technology. That doesn't sound like the "only tantalum" company from an older generation of BOMs.
It took me a long time to understand that shift. Honestly, I'm not sure why Kemet MLCCs don't get the same attention as its tantalum parts. My best guess is that engineers organize by memory: if the first Kemet part you ever speced was a T491 tantalum cap, Kemet stays "the tantalum brand" in your head. But the data doesn't support that narrow view anymore.
Here's where my sample limitation applies. I work mostly with industrial controls, automotive modules, and some RF assemblies. I'm not designing space hardware or consumer phone boards at massive scale. For our boards, Kemet's flexible termination MLCCs made a measurable difference in vibration testing. The standard MLCCs behaved like standard MLCCs. That's not an insult; it's why I read the datasheet instead of trusting the logo.
If you're designing phones, you care about capacitance in a tiny footprint. Kemet's KONNEKT stacked MLCCs are interesting for that because they add capacitance without doubling the placement count. I've seen a stacked Kemet MLCC remove a separate parallel part from a board. That kind of simplification is a small win, but small wins prevent bigger assembly headaches later.
My conclusion on dimension 2: Kemet MLCCs are real, qualified, and not just a rebranded sideline. The company is doing much more than tantalum now.
Dimension 3: Legacy Qualification Data vs. What You Need to Verify
Old Kemet had deep qualification data for tantalum. New Kemet has credible qualification data for MLCCs, but the level of detail varies by series. I've never fully understood why one ceramic series gets a 25-page data package while another gets a thin datasheet. In practice, I just ask for more documentation before I add anything to our qualified vendor list.
My rule is simple: a five-minute verification beats a five-week root cause analysis. In 2024, that rule caught about 4% of first deliveries before they went into production. Most of those were packaging, marking, or tolerance mismatches—not dramatic failures. In Q1 2024, I rejected a reel of ceramic caps because the marking didn't match the manufacturer's drawing. The vendor said it was "within industry standard." I said our drawing is the standard. We returned the part and avoided a potential reflow issue. It wasn't a dramatic failure; it was exactly the kind of boring catch that prevents expensive rework.
Here's what I check before selecting any Kemet MLCC, or any ceramic capacitor from any manufacturer:
- Capacitance change vs. DC bias at the actual operating voltage.
- Temperature rating and temperature coefficient.
- Termination style: flexible or rigid.
- Automotive or reliability qualification if the buyer requires it.
- Footprint, solder joint profile, and board flex performance.
- Lead time and the distributor's actual stock position.
That last one is easy to ignore. It's also the one that causes the "Kemet is on my approved list but no one has stock" panic. (I've been in that panic. It's not fun.)
My conclusion on dimension 3: the Kemet brand does not automatically answer these questions. Tantalum heritage doesn't transfer to every MLCC series. The part number and datasheet are what matter.
So What Is Kemet Doing Now?
Let me give you a clear answer: Kemet Electronics Corporation is a Yageo company. It still makes tantalum capacitors, but it is also pushing hard in MLCCs and passive components like connectors and relays. If you search "what is doing now" and expect news about a scrappy independent company, you're looking at the wrong story. The right story is about scale, ceramic capacitors, and a global passive component network.
What should you do with that information? It depends on your board, your volumes, and your risk tolerance.
Stick with Kemet's traditional strength if you need high-reliability tantalum, if you already have a qualified Kemet part, or if your customer's paperwork expects legacy data. This is the low-risk path.
Consider Kemet MLCCs if you need flexible termination, automotive-grade ceramic, C0G performance, or a stacked option like KONNEKT to save board space. They're also worth considering if you want a second source for ceramic capacitors and you already trust Kemet's supply chain on tantalum.
Choose another MLCC supplier if your application is a true commodity buy with generous design margins and you already have a qualified vendor. Kemet doesn't have to be on every board. If the total cost is lower and the specs are verified, generic ceramic caps are fine. The key word is "verified."
I once ran the math on dual-sourcing a Kemet MLCC. Worst case: I'd have to re-qualify 47 line items. Best case: we'd save a few cents per part. The expected value said keep the original source, because the downside of a supply chain break felt too big for such a small savings. That's not brand loyalty. It's risk management.
As of January 2025, Kemet's product documentation is still available under the Kemet name. If you're putting a part on a compliance document, verify the current manufacturer relationship and lead time with an authorized distributor. Don't rely on a blog post from a quality reviewer. I'd rather you annoy your distributor with questions than ignore a mismatch and pay for it later.
Kemet's old story was tantalum. Its current story is more complex: MLCCs, passives, and a place inside a much bigger company. What Kemet is doing now is expanding and repositioning. But my advice hasn't changed. Check the part, not the brand.
