Xiaomi says its lights-out smart factory can now produce 10 million smartphones a year hands-free. South Korea backed a $166M AI chip push while Apple committed $400M to expand US manufacturing, signaling intensified global competition to localize advanced electronics supply chains.

Xiaomi says its next-generation Smart Factory, launched in July 2024, can produce 10 million flagship smartphones a year, using mostly self-developed equipment and 100% self-developed manufacturing software.

Multi-die designs introduce new engineering complexities and design considerations, spanning packaging, verification, thermal dynamics and more. Here are eight best practices for developing chiplet designs.

The robotics revolution hinges on overcoming supply chain chokepoints.

Maine’s Senate advanced a right-to-repair electronics bill aimed at lowering costs and reducing e-waste, with additional legislative votes still pending.

CE3S releases Workbench Configurator Platform.

CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY announced the winners of the 2026 New Product Introduction (NPI) Awards, recognizing leading electronics assembly equipment, materials and software introduced over the past year.

Mike Buetow discusses Cadence’s acquisition of EMA Design Automation and what the deal could mean for the companies and the PCB design software market on the PCB Chat podcast.

Francisco Aguilar, CEO of Bounce Imaging, will keynote PCB East 2026, sharing how a prototype 360-degree tactical camera evolved into a mission-critical tool through iterative design and EMS collaboration.

PCB Detroit will return to Wayne State University June 15-16 with technical sessions covering ESD, EMI, RF design, thin copper impacts, thermal management, signal integrity and AI-driven PCB workflows, alongside a tabletop exhibition and networking events.

PCEA will debut the PCB Management Forum at PCB East on April 28, focusing on AI adoption, material shortages and workforce challenges.

CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY has opened registration for the 2026 Service Excellence Awards, inviting EMS providers and industry suppliers to benchmark customer service performance through direct customer feedback ahead of the April 31 deadline.

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.

South Korea approved a $166M investment in AI chip startup Rebellions to support NPU production and strengthen its domestic semiconductor capabilities under a national “K-Nvidia” initiative.

Apple committed $400M through 2030 to expand its US manufacturing program with four suppliers, aiming to strengthen domestic production.

ECIA’s electronic components sales sentiment index reached 139.7 in February with nine straight months of positive growth.

V.S. Industry reported second quarter revenue down 15 percent to $163M and swung to a net loss amid softer demand and margin pressure.

OKI launches EMS for AI servers, integrating high heat dissipation PCB technology to support large multilayer boards.

A supply crunch for Intel and AMD CPUs is dealing a fresh blow to PC and server makers.

AI-driven demand is accelerating China’s semiconductor expansion, boosting investment, capacity and supply chain activity.

Helium supply concerns are emerging following West Asia tensions, driving price increases and adding pressure to semiconductor and electronics manufacturing timelines.

Dixon Technologies reports fourth quarter revenue of $1.24B and net profit of $56M, up 379 percent year over year.

Keysight Technologies announced plans to begin local manufacturing of test and measurement hardware in Chennai, India, expanding its global production footprint.

Hi-Tech installed Uyemura’s Thru-Cup EVF-YF9 copper plating process at its manufacturing site in North Macedonia.

Shenzhen launched a three-year plan to expand AI server supply chain capacity and boost domestic production of chips, PCBs and key components under a self-reliance strategy.

Chimney Rock Equity Partners acquires United Electronics, expanding its presence in RF, SMT assembly and defense electronics manufacturing.

Pelco Component Technologies and Alliance for Manufacturing & Technology of the Southern Tier (AMT) partnership was awarded $60,000 as part of the New York State Microelectronics Innovation Challenge from FuzeHub.

Wonderful PCB expands reverse engineering and cloning services.

Seika Machinery launched a spring sale featuring in-stock and demo assembly equipment.

MaRCTech2 named Kiersten Kreusser solutions expert in Oregon and Southwest Washington.

The US Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE) appointed John Luddy interim executive director.

Consider Manufacturing Complexity When PCB Designs Have Tight Hole-to-Trace Spacing
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY

Mechanochemically Activatable Liquid Metal Powders for Sustainable, Reconfigurable, and Versatile Electronics
Advanced Functional Materials

Reconfigurable Superconducting Quantum Circuits Enabled by Micro-Scale Liquid-Metal Interconnects
Quantum Physics

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.