The Marketing Minute: If Your Marketing Budget Gets Cut in Half, Then What?
Punching Out: How Are the Big Boys in Electronics Doing?
It’s Only Common Sense: Complexity Is the Enemy of Profit
Showa Denko’s Materials' PWB Adopted for World's Top Supercomputer
October 13, 2020 | Showa Denkdo Materials Co. Ltd.Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Showa Denko Materials Co., Ltd. is pleased to announce that "MCL-LW-900G/910G," a low transmission loss printed wiring board material developed by the company, has been adopted for the printed wiring boards mounted on the central processing units (CPU) of the supercomputer "Fugaku," currently under joint development by the RIKEN and Fujitsu Limited.
The world's No.1 supercomputer known as "Fugaku" aims to deliver up to 100 times the application execution performance of its predecessor, "K computer" that began operating in 2012, while minimizing its power consumption (30-40 MW) roughly three times that of "K computer" (12.7 MW). "Fugaku" is expected to play a major role in various fields, including COVID-19 research, artificial intelligence (AI) applications, and big data analysis.
To combine superlative computing speed and power-saving performance of "Fugaku," higher speed communication, larger data volumes, and higher frequency electric signals are required for printed wiring boards. However, to provide these capabilities, it is essential to reduce transmission signal attenuation (transmission loss) and signal delay within the boards. Halogen-free material is also an important requirement to reduce environmental impact.
Showa Denko Materials developed "MCL-LW-900G/910G" as a halogen-free printed wiring board material capable of reducing transmission loss and signal delay by optimizing resin composition ratio and applying low dielectric*2 glass cloth. This material is excellent for drilling holes and is applicable to laser drilling fine holes. It also effectively reduces the price of high layer count printed wiring boards as the material can be laminated collectively in a hybrid configuration with halogen-free FR4 (a general-purpose glass cloth base material) with different glass transition temperatures (Tg).*3
As a material for the supercomputer "Fugaku," "MCL-LW-900G/910G" has been well-received for its properties such as low dielectric constant*4 (Dk) and dielectric loss tangent*5 (Df) related to transmission loss and signal delay, as well as insulation reliability*6 (CAF resistance) and desmear treatment*7 (desmear solubility) which improve printed wiring board production yields and ensure stable production.
Showa Denko Materials will work to further optimize the resin composition ratios and use lower dielectric glass cloth to launch mass production of printed wiring board materials focused on low transmission loss. with a view to applying these materials to fifth-generation (5G) and sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication systems providing even higher speed, higher capacity, lower latency, and multiple connections.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Our marketing partnership with I-Connect007 is already delivering. Just a day after our press release went live, we received a direct inquiry about our updated products!"
Rachael Temple - AlltematedSuggested Items
Rethinking Reinforcement Materials for Advanced Packaging
05/14/2026 | Ivana Ivanovic-Hesselink, Flexiramics B.V.Materials that once quietly supported the industry are now becoming limiting factors. The electronics industry is experiencing unprecedented pressure as RF systems push into mmWave frequencies, high-speed digital architectures advance into their next performance generation, and power densities climb across automotive, telecom, aerospace, and computing. Reinforcement materials, long treated as a background detail in laminate design, are suddenly at the centre of performance, reliability, and supply‑chain discussions.
Rethinking Stackup, Materials, and Tolerances in Modern Designs
05/14/2026 | Kristin Moyer, Global Electronics AssociationThe simple rectangular rigid PCB is becoming increasingly infrequent. This reality necessitates designing with concepts well outside traditional rigid PCB methodologies. For example, the designer of wearable electronics may need to implement conductive fibers integrated into the textile material. Heads-up displays, like those in VR/AR headsets and glasses, require transparent circuitry etched into the display glass. The process of designing without a rule book usually starts with something other than the traditional board design process.
I-Connect007 Announces Upcoming Issue of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest
05/13/2026 | I-Connect007The next issue of Advanced Electronics Packaging Digest examines the materials, architectures, and integration strategies shaping the next phase of electronics innovation, from reinforcement materials under thermal and frequency pressure to heterogeneous integration and advanced packaging as a system-level scaling factor.
Indium Experts to Address Data Center Thermal Management and Sintering Standards at SMTA Conference
05/13/2026 | Indium CorporationAs a leading materials provider for the advanced electronic packaging market, Indium Corporation® experts will share their technical insight and knowledge on two critical industry topics—data center thermal management and sintering protocols—at the SMTA Electronics in Harsh Environments Conference, May 19-21, in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
AI Demand Drives PCB Material Market Growth
05/08/2026 | TPCAAs AI computing continues to drive a comprehensive upgrade in hardware specifications, the global printed circuit board industry is undergoing a profound structural transformation.