AI leaders at DesignCon advanced agentic design automation as the next evolution in chip engineering, as US aerospace and semiconductor manufacturers confront escalating rare earth shortages and a 60 percent surge in yttrium prices.

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

At DesignCon, leaders outlined agentic design automation (ADA), combining AI models and EDA tools to drive autonomous chip design.

ITW EAE introduces Vitronics Soltec ProcessGuard thermal monitoring option.

Researchers report a foundry-inspired process enabling wafer-scale monolayer molybdenum disulfide circuits, demonstrating a fully interconnected 120-transistor 2-D microprocessor with high yield.

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 March 31 deadline.

ITW EAE releases Electrovert EcoWave for wave soldering systems.

Multiline introduces ECP-8000 and ATP-7800 post-etch punch systems.

Cape EMS launched its “CEB 2.0” roadmap to pivot from EMS into engineering integration, BESS, IoT and AI-driven manufacturing networks.

Scott Bright discusses Cadstrom IO’s new platform for catching errors the ERC flow misses with Andy Shaughnessy and Mike Buetow on the PCB Chat podcast.

Registration is now open for PCB East 2026, the electronics industry’s East Coast conference and exhibition.

PCB East 2026’s exhibition hall is more than 95 percent sold out, reflecting strong exhibitor demand ahead of the April event in Worcester, Massachusetts.

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.

US aerospace and semiconductor firms face worsening yttrium and scandium shortages, with yttrium prices up 60 percent and exports from China sharply reduced despite trade easing.

A perfect storm threatens low-cost computing as AI demand is pushing chip manufacturers to realign capacity with higher-margin product.

StateSquare agreed to acquire a controlling stake in AIM.

Ducommun’s fourth quarter revenue rose 9.4 percent to $215.8M, with electronic systems revenue up 11.8 percent.

Incap reported 2025 revenue of €214.6M, a 6.7 percent decline in revenue over the previous year.

MIC Electronics has secured a ₹114 crore contract to build and commission a Common Facility Centre in Nava Raipur.

ECIA issued a follow-up letter after the US Supreme Court ruled IEEPA does not authorize tariffs, invalidating those duties and halting their collection.

Federal Electronics added a new PCBA line in Hermosillo.

Benchmark Electronics formalized its agreement with incoming president and CEO David Moezidis.

Hanwha Semitech Americas appointed Marin Coronado Mendoza general manager of its Mexico operations.

Consider Manufacturing Complexity When PCB Designs Have Tight Hole-to-Trace Spacing
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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.