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THE LEAD
Meta is testing robots to take on more hands-on data center work as AI infrastructure demands continue to grow. Amazon is feeling the memory squeeze, with rising component costs pushing some hardware prices up as much as 60 percent.
TECH NEWS
Meta is testing robots to handle tasks such as swapping cables and resetting servers in its data centers as the company explores greater automation of infrastructure operations.
PCEA announced 11 free technical sessions and a keynote for PCB West 2026, covering topics including AI, PCB design, signal integrity, flex, UHDI, fabrication and assembly on Sept. 30 in Santa Clara, CA.
Auburn University professor Pradeep Lall helped develop SEMI FH5, the first reliability standard for flexible hybrid electronics, establishing guidelines for testing and evaluating FHE assemblies.
SpaceX’s proposed AI1 orbital computing network could eventually deploy up to 1M satellites, raising concerns over unrecoverable electronic waste.
Electronics OEMs should prioritize modular hardware architectures, broader component sourcing and design-for-cost strategies as rising component costs and supply chain risks challenge traditional custom hardware development.
Count On Tools introduced two custom SMT nozzles for Samsung and Quad pick-and-place systems.
PCEA will debut Designer Career Day at PCB West 2026, offering a free daylong program on PCB design careers, skills, training and professional development.
David Dworak discusses adhesive chemistry, surface preparation, wetting and the hidden causes of adhesion failure in electronics manufacturing in the latest PCB Chat.
PCB West 2026 will feature a panel examining AI, interposers, high-speed and high-current design, and optical interconnects shaping PCB design through the end of the decade.
PCEA announced two fall webinars covering the role of the PCB designer and signal routing for controlling energy, signal integrity and EMI in digital PCBs.
PCB West 2026 will feature 11 presentations on electronics assembly processes, including a half-day solder paste qualification workshop and sessions covering SMT printing, stencil design, reflow soldering and more.
Tom Kastner, founder of GP Ventures, discusses mergers and acquisitions, global manufacturing challenges, and the current state of the PCB fabrication and assembly industry in the latest episode of PCB Chat.
PCEA will host a 3.5-hour webinar on Nov. 4 led by Susy Webb covering signal routing techniques to improve signal integrity and EMI performance.
PCEA released the sixth edition of PCB Basics: An Introduction to the PCB Industry, adding chapters on HDI/UHDI and AI applications across PCB design, fabrication, assembly, test, inspection and procurement.
CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY is accepting entries for the 20th annual New Product Introduction Awards, with submissions for electronics assembly products due Dec. 14.
PCB West 2026 is nearly sold out, with only one exhibition booth remaining for the Sept. 29–Oct. 2 event at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
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.
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CAVEAT LECCTOR
Back in the Saddle
So let me start where Mike Buetow left off in our last issue: Thanks. And let’s hear a round of applause for Mike. He’s spent 26 years writing this column, longer than both of my marriages combined.
ANDY SHAUGHNESSY
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