If there’s one theme running through this week’s news, it’s momentum – from OpenAI’s multibillion-dollar bet on AMD to surging global semiconductor sales and steady growth in PCB design revenue. What can we possibly be worried about?

Research on crack formation in flexible electronics reveals how brittle electrode layers can damage underlying substrates, offering insights that could improve PCB reliability in foldable devices and wearable technologies.

Flux launches agentic AI capabilities for circuit boards design and component sourcing based on simple natural language prompts.

Green Network Exchange says advancements in policy, recycling technology and business models are reshaping e-waste recovery.

East Coast Electronics Recycling (ECER) has launched a streamlined commercial e-waste pickup program.

Dymax releases 9773 ruggedized adhesive.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman recently held low-profile meetings with Foxconn and TSMC, according to local Taiwan news media.

Mike Buetow was honored as the inaugural recipient of the PCEA Lifetime Achievement Award and first inductee into the association’s new Hall of Fame during PCB West 2025.

The October issue of PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY is live, featuring the 2025 designer salary survey, solder paste handling, insights on manufacturability and data transfer, wrap plating methodologies, designing for flex circuit bends, and more.

Circuits Assembly opened entries for its 2026 NPI Awards, recognizing innovations in electronics assembly equipment, material and software.

PCEA announced Stephen V. Chavez as recipient of the annual PCEA Leadership Award, for his lifetime service in the pursuit of educating and training PCB design engineers.

PCEA awarded Troy Hopkins with its fourth annual PCEA Membership Award.

PCEA hosts an Oct. 28 webinar on RF PCB design and the transition from HDI to UHDI technologies.

Wally Rhines joins Mike Buetow to discuss the long PCB/MCM design tool rally, a massive jump in employment. broader strength across the ECAD industry, and the effects US policies toward China are having on the market on the latest PCB Chat podcast.

Abstracts for PCB East 2026 on PCB design, fabrication, assembly and emerging technologies, are due Oct. 3.

Looking for networking opportunities? Join the PCEA Discord server, bringing together engineers and designers from around the world on a private channel for discussing technical questions and career opportunities.

Worldwide semiconductor sales climbed 21.7% year-over-year in August, driven by strong demand for memory and logic chips in the Asia Pacific and Americas.

Global PCB and multichip module design software revenue rose in quarter two as part of a broader 8.6% year-over-year increase in electronic system design industry growth.

Foxconn reported a record NT 837B (27.4B) in consolidated sales in September, up 38 percent from a month earlier and 14 percent from a year earlier.

OpenAI plans to invest billions in AMD through a multiyear deal that includes purchasing its chips and potentially acquiring up to a 10 percent stake to secure AI computing power beyond Nvidia.

China has purchased nearly $40 billion of chipmaking gear, according to a bipartisan investigation by US lawmakers.

MMR Group announced plans for an electronics assembly facility in Lafayette, LA, a 55.2M project aimed at expanding production of components for data centers and semiconductor applications.

Satellite communications and defence electronics firm Avantel on Tuesday said it has opened its second facility in Hyderabad with an investment of over Rs 56 crore (63M).

ZenaTech’s Taipei subsidiary, Spider Vision Sensors, as advanced to the commissioning phase and assembly line setup at its recently leased 16,000 sq. ft. drone components manufacturing facility, where it will assemble PCBs.

Global tariffs and inflation might temper the consumer market in the second half, but Taiwanese PCB players believe that overall industry growth momentum still relies on demand from AI servers and low-orbit satellites.

Huawei's global smartwatch shipments in the second quarter rose 8 percent year-over-year to 3.4M units, giving the Chinese ODM the top spot for the first time with a 21 percent global market share, said Counterpoint Research.

Vega Americas has completed a 120,000-square-foot expansion of its Mason headquarters.

Insulectro promoted Chris Hunrath to chief technology officer.

Promex Industries and QP Technologies appointed Ben Mendoza vice president of military projects.

Europlacer has appointed Craig Brown sales director of the Americas.

Among PCB Design, Raises are Up, Benefits are Down and Deadlines Don’t Budge
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY

Electrochemical and ATR-SEIRAS Investigation of Micro-via Filling Performance of Amino-Functionalized N-Heterocyclic Levelers
Science Direct

Reliability Analysis and Parameter Optimization of Board-Level BGA Packaging Structures under Thermal-Drop Impact Load
Soldering & Surface Mount Technology

EVENTS

PCB Update is a digital newsletter for PCB design, fabrication and assembly professionals, brought to you by Printed Circuit Engineering Association™. E-mail industry press releases or links to the editors of CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY or PCD&F: pr@pcea.net.