India’s long-stalled labor reforms take effect this week with expectations of attracting FDI (foreign direct investment) into manufacturing, while Foxconn commits $569M to scale AI-server production in the US. See this and more in today’s headlines.

AI demand is keeping at least 15 aging coal plants running longer than planned, as utilities divert them from retirement to supply the massive electricity loads required for new data centers.

A joint team in the UK and Canada has developed a silicon-compatible quantum semiconductor that achieves record charge mobility in a strained germanium layer, a breakthrough researchers say could enable faster electronics and future quantum devices.

Chiplet adoption is expected to accelerate in 2025 as maturing standards, rising investment and advances in packaging push modular architectures closer to mainstream use.

PCB-level security is becoming a core defense priority as modern military systems face hardware-focused threats ranging from tampering and side-channel attacks to supply-chain vulnerabilities that software alone cannot mitigate.

OKI Circuit Technology unveiled a new high-accuracy via-simulation method that predicts real-world behavior at 50 GHz-plus.

Jaeyoung Solutec has acquired two patents covering spring-type flexible PCB structures and bearing-based OIS actuators.

Sivers Semiconductors has partnered with Doosan in a $1.5M project to develop scalable Ka-band electronically steerable SATCOM antenna panels.

The 2025 HKPCA Show returns December 3–5 with an expanded AI-focus and high-speed/high-frequency technologies.

TopLine offers waffle pack chip trays.

DigiKey offers power supply configuration tool.

PCEA has issued a call for abstracts for PCB West 2026, with submissions due January 23, 2026.

PCB West 2026 will take place Sept. 29–Oct. 2 at the Santa Clara Convention Center, with booth registration now open for returning exhibitors.

Entries for Circuits Assembly's 2026 NPI Awards, recognizing innovations in electronics assembly equipment, material and software, are due Dec. 15.

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.

Tesla is pushing suppliers to eliminate China-made components from its US production lines, accelerating a shift that includes items like PCBs and electronic control units.

Amazon said it will invest up to $50B beginning in 2026 to expand AI and supercomputing capacity for US government agencies across its Top Secret, Secret and GovCloud regions.

Apple is reportedly advancing its foldable iPhone program as suppliers say the company has developed a crease-free display and Foxconn has begun preparing a dedicated production line for the device.

Nokia will invest $4B to expand US manufacturing and R&D capabilities as it accelerates development of AI-ready networking and advanced semiconductor technologies.

South Korea says it could work with Taiwan on US chip-tariff negotiations, with officials noting both economies are seeking favorable terms as demand for advanced semiconductors drives stronger exports.

Taiwan said it has “no information” on any joint approach with South Korea regarding US chip tariffs, noting its negotiations remain strictly one-on-one with Washington as both economies navigate shifting semiconductor trade policies.

Japan’s major electronics makers are restructuring supply chains, shifting production to Southeast Asia, Mexico and the US.

The automotive PCB market is projected to accelerate through 2032, with analysts citing strong electronics demand.

OKI has expanded its Projection Assembly System to Thailand and Indonesia, bringing its projector-guided, image-sensing assembly platform to Southeast Asian factories

Nan Ya Plastics is gaining momentum from its push deeper into AI-driven supply chains.

Aspocomp has secured $1.9M from the EU’s Just Transition Fund to expand capacity at its Oulu PCB plant.

Altus has supplied Concurrent Technologies with a second Asscon vapour phase system.

Entrepix has named Eumetrys as its exclusive sales representative in France.

Samsung Electronics has named TM Roh as head of its DX Division and co-CEO alongside Young Hyun Jun.

The Analysis of Variance: Drawing Conclusions from Data that are Correct, Unambiguous and Defensible
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY

Multi-scale Alignment Detection Transformer for PCB Defect Detection with Enhanced Cross-scale Feature Fusion
Measurement Science and Technology

Electromigration in Eutectic Gold-Tin (80Au20Sn-wt%) Solder Joints
Journal of Electronic Materials

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.