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January 7th, 2026
News and Resources for PCB Design, Fab and Assembly Professionals Subscribe •  Advertise •  PCD&F •  Circuits Assembly •  Tell A Friend
THE LEAD

The Consumer Electronics Show takes center stage, while Nvidia says its next-generation AI chips are already in full production with up to five times the performance of prior platforms.

TECH NEWS

What's on TV tonight? A Painting. New televisions from Amazon, Hisense TCL, and others designed to display fine art and look like a painting when they're switched off are among the highlights of CES this week.

China’s cyberspace regulator proposed tighter rules on AI chatbots that simulate human personalities, citing risks around manipulation and national security, with public consultation open through January 25, 2026.

Startups flush with cash are building AI-assisted laboratories to find materials far faster and more cheaply, but are still waiting for their ChatGPT moment.

TopLine introduces PST series Si thermal test die.

The January digital issue of PCD&F/Circuits Assembly is out now, featuring HDI manufacturing approaches, stackup efficiency, PCB thermal management, DfM feedback and more.

VJ Electronix releases summit LT150 rework system.

VJ Electronix offers XQuik V X-ray component counter.

Bold Laser Automation unveils LTX1260A 3D inspection and measurement system.

IEEE ECTC extended the Student Innovation Challenge preregistration deadline to January 11, 2026.

PCEA reports that PCB East 2026 exhibition space is more than 70% booked and on track to sell out, with the event moving to the DCU Center in Worcester for its April 28–May 1 conference and April 29 exhibition.

Entries for Circuits Assembly's 2026 NPI Awards, recognizing innovations in electronics assembly equipment, material and software, are due Jan. 9.

PCB West 2026 booth sales are now open to all exhibitors, with more than 60 percent of the floor already reserved following early access for returning companies.

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.

FOCUS ON BUSINESS
Lessons From My Worst Sales Hires
Having led different-sized sales forces over the years, I’ve made some massive hiring mistakes. This isn’t a “how to avoid all hiring mistakes” piece; everyone will make hiring errors over a long and active career.

JAKE KULP

Jake Kulp





















BUSINESS NEWS

President Trump blocked a $3M acquisition of Emcore aerospace and defense assets by firm Hiefo, citing national security risks and China-related ownership concerns following a CFIUS review.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company’s next-generation AI chips are now in full production, delivering up to five times the AI computing performance of prior generations.

Kexiang raised 2.87B yuan ($410M) to upgrade Zhien Electronics' high-end server PCB production line.

A new Council on Foreign Relations report warns that China’s roughly $900B investment in AI, quantum and biotech has exposed major US supply-chain vulnerabilities.

DCX Systems secured new aerospace and defense orders worth about $1.37M.

Metallium signed a multi-year binding agreement with Glencore to supply up to 2,400 tons per year of electronic scrap.

Rising DRAM and NAND prices are pressuring Samsung Electronics to consider higher pricing.

KODA Technologies named Casey Cooper director of digital engineering.

DATA TRANSFER
Bidirectional Design Data Exchange and Technical Query Management with IPC-2581
This month, continuing the theme of migrating from handoffs to bidirectional design data exchange, we will talk about electronic exchange of technical queries with design/manufacturing partners through IPC-2581’s DfX module.

HEMANT SHAH

Hemant Shah






















TECHNICAL ARTICLES

Nexperia Crisis Exposes Hidden Fragility in the PCB Supply Chain
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY


PCB Defect Detection Using Machine Learning: YOLOv5 and Inception v3 CNN-Based Approach
2025 ICSSES


High-Precision Electronic Component Detection via Multi-Scale Attention and Dynamic Feature Fusiont
Scientific Reports


EVENTS

Jan. 21-23: 40th InterNepcon JapanTokyo Big Sight, Japan
Feb. 2-5: Pan Pacific Strategic Electronics SymposiumHawaii
Feb. 3-4: EIPC Winter ConferenceAix-en-Provence/Marseille, France
Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27, Mar. 6: Certified Printed Circuit Design Training, Online
Feb. 17-19: Chiplet SummitSanta Clara, CA
Apr. 22-23: Del Mar Electronics ShowSan Diego, CA
Apr. 28-May 1: PCB East 2026Worcester, MA
May 15, 22, 29, June 5, 12: Certified Printed Circuit Design Training, Online
May 26-29: IEEE Electronic Components and Technology ConferenceOrlando, FL
June 9-11: ZIW Americas 2026Dallas, TX
June 15-16: PCB Detroit 2026Detroit, MI
June 24-26: Vietnam Intcomm 2026 & Electronic Vietnam 2026Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Sept. 29-Oct. 2: PCB West 2026Santa Clara, CA


 

BOOK-TO-BILLS/MARKET TRENDS
             Oct. Trend
EMS 1.26 Down
Semiconductors         15.3% Up
PCBs 1.00 Up
Component Sales Sentiment 122.2 Up
Changes are year-over-year.    

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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.


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