Amazon is positioning Trainium 3 as a lower-cost, energy-efficient alternative to Nvidia GPUs just as the United States unveils Pax Silica, a multinational effort to secure semiconductor and AI supply chains outside China.

Amazon is escalating competition in AI hardware with its new Trainium 3 chip, positioning it as a lower-cost, more energy-efficient alternative to Nvidia GPUs.

The Trump administration launched a new US Tech Force initiative that will deploy roughly 1,000 engineers and technology specialists across federal agencies to build AI infrastructure and advanced tech projects in coordination with major US technology companies.

Reports indicate that Google is accelerating its AI Glasses Project and has set up a supply chain partnership, with Foxconn handling hardware manufacturing, Samsung providing reference designs, and Qualcomm designing the core chips.

Automakers are increasingly turning to AI-driven, centralized electronic architectures to improve efficiency and user experience.

Polyplastics has expanded its Laperos LCP portfolio with new LH and TF series materials designed to support electronics miniaturization.

Researchers demonstrated an etch-free printed electronics process using ZnO nanoparticles and photonic curing to rapidly form fine-line, low-resistivity silver conductors on flexible substrates.

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 Dec. 19.

Hirose releases 1.0mm series coaxial connector.

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.

The United States has launched the Pax Silica initiative with partners including South Korea and Japan to coordinate semiconductor, critical minerals, and AI development, aiming to reduce reliance on China and strengthen shared technology supply chains.

Samsung Electronics faces mounting pressure on its smartphone business as US tariff uncertainty and stronger Chinese competition weigh on shipments, raising the prospect that Apple could reclaim the global shipment lead for the first time in 14 years.

SEMI projects three consecutive years of growth in semiconductor equipment spending, with AI-driven investments pushing total sales past $150B for the first time in 2027.

Foxconn outlined plans for a $510M Kaohsiung headquarters to consolidate R&D, EV, battery and AI operations in southern Taiwan.

Avary Holding, part of ZDT, will invest 610M to expand its high-end PCB output at its factory in Thailand.

The National Retail Federation forecasts US holiday retail sales will surpass $1T for the first time in 2025.

India’s exports leapt in November despite US tariffs, providing fresh leverage in ongoing trade talks with Washington and easing pressure on New Delhi to strike a quick deal.

Elecbits secured $5.5M in Series A funding to expand its AI-driven electronics design and manufacturing platform and build in-house production capacity.

Guangzhou Guanghe Technology has filed for a main-board Hong Kong listing as computing server PCBs drive the majority of its revenue growth.

Global smartphone shipments are forecast to fall 2.1 percent in 2026 as memory shortages drive higher BoM costs and force OEM portfolio adjustments.

Pengding Holdings plans to invest 43B yuan in 2026 to build a Thailand manufacturing park.

BOE is seeking to expand its smartphone shipments to Samsung following the resolution of their IP dispute.

Wus Printed Circuit said it is targeting AI-driven HPC to exceed 40 percent of total revenue by 2026 as it expands capacity to support higher-end board demand.

Flexible printed circuit manufacturer Complex Micro Interconnection reported stable order intake across industrial, commercial, consumer, and automotive sectors.

KIC announced the relocation of its global headquarters to a new, expanded facility in San Diego.

Unitech Printed Circuit Board is pushing into the LEO satellite market and is targeting 20 percent of revenue from Southeast Asia LEO orders by 2026.

Vietnam is positioned to carve out a semiconductor design niche during the AI boom.

Naprotek appointed Tim Filteau chief executive.

Keith Howell, an engineer with Nihon Superior, has passed away.

Beyond the Gerbers: How Unstructured Data Drives PCB Cost and Lead Time
PCD&F/CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY

Graph Neural Networks for Automatic Addition of Optimizing Components in Printed Circuit Board Schematics
ECML PKDD 2025/Lecture Notes in Computer Science

Circular Innovation: How to Build Reverse Electronics Supply Chains – the Case of CIRC-UITS Project
IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology

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.