AI safety advocate Eliezer Yudkowsky argues in a new book that developing superintelligence risks human extinction and calls for shutting down AI research entirely.

The US Justice Department is moving to forfeit over 5M in stolen cryptocurrency, highlighting ongoing vulnerabilities at the hardware–network interface where SIM-based attacks exploit telecom and device-level security tied to PCB-integrated components.

Researchers have developed a printed soft human-machine interface with e-skin sensing and adaptive machine learning, enabling gesture recognition and bidirectional communication for advanced robotics.

IBM has unveiled plans for Quantum Starling, a large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computer with 200 logical qubits and 100 million quantum gates, supported by new error correction research.

Researchers have developed an optoexcitonic switch that could eliminate waste heat in devices, paving the way for more efficient classical and quantum computing at room temperature.

Researchers have developed a low-cost lab-on-PCB device that integrates DNA amplification and electrochemical detection, enabling rapid point-of-care diagnostics for pathogens like SARS-CoV-2.

Researchers have introduced a machine learning method using circular distributed cumulative histograms to detect defects in PCB images, enabling automated classification of faulty and correct boards.

Max Mobility/Permobil has expanded its recall of all SpeedControl Dials for the SmartDrive MX2+ due to a design flaw causing unintended movement and injury risks.

Texas Instruments has introduced the TMAG5134 in-plane Hall-effect switch, offering 1mT sensitivity for compact, low-cost position-sensing applications as an alternative to magnetoresistive sensors.

Stephen Chavez talks about some of the issues designers are running into, is upcoming presentations at PCB West, and design-related programs at the college level, on the latest PCB Chat podcast.

Rainmaker Technology head of engineering Jackson Schultz will keynote PCB West this fall in Santa Clara, CA.

The PCEA September issue is live, covering NTI-100 rankings, PCB/EMS momentum in Southeast Asia (Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia), China-plus-one supply chain shifts and more.

PCB West 2025 has sold out its exhibition floor for the 11th time in 12 years, with 100+ exhibitors set for Sept. 30–Oct. 3 at Santa Clara and a free-session expo day on Oct. 1.

PCEA opened the call for abstracts for PCB East 2026, seeking technical talks and workshops focused on PCB design, fabrication and emerging technologies.

PCD&F launched its annual salary survey for PCB designers and engineers to gather industry compensation data.

PCEA has announced the technical program for PCB West 2025, featuring over 125 hours of training and more than 50 sessions, including 30 classes new to the industry-leading tech conference.

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.

Panasonic will invest 17 billion yen to double Megtron circuit board material production, targeting AI server and ICT infrastructure demand.

Videoton EAS Bulgaria launches automotive electronics production in Stara Zagora.

Tesla has launched its new transformer business with the Megapack 3 and Megablock, but the effort faces setbacks as many of its top power electronics engineers have departed to join former executive Drew Baglino’s startup, Heron Power.

Volkswagen and Rivian have introduced a joint sourcing model covering over 50 semiconductor categories, including microcontrollers, power transistors and PCBs, to cut costs and boost the supply chain.

Foxconn has voiced support for California Forever’s proposed Solano Foundry industrial park, signaling interest in establishing a Northern California facility that could add thousands of jobs and expand its US manufacturing footprint.

Israel is prioritizing Deep Tech over AI alone to secure strategic defense and industrial sovereignty.

Aimtron Group has launched Aimtron Mechatronics, a greenfield subsidiary in Gujarat, to scale advanced EMS and mechatronic manufacturing.

The global radiation-hardened electronics market is projected to grow from 1.77B this year to 2.3B by 2030, driven by defense, ISR and satellite demand.

Agentic AI: The Future of the Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY

A Fully-Integrated Flexible in-Sensor Computing Circuit Based on Gel-Gated Organic Electrochemical Transistors
NPJ Flexible Electronics

Scalable Roll-to-Roll Approach for Encapsulating Long-Length Flexible Printed Circuit Boards
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces

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.