Connect the Dots: Designing for the Future of Manufacturing Reality—Surface Finish
The Pulse: Caught in the Crosshatch—A Cautionary Tale of Detective Work
Fresh PCB Concepts: Designing PCBs for Harsh Environments—Reliability Is Engineered Upstream
PCB West Review: EDA Tool Companies Finally Embrace AI
September 21, 2023 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007Estimated reading time: 1 minute
The weather couldn’t have been better for PCB West, and PCB designers and manufacturers packed the show floor for much of the exhibition on Wednesday, Sept. 20 in Santa Clara, California. The show floor was sold out, and it was great seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
If there was one unifying topic for this show, it would have to be the advent of artificial intelligence in EDA tools. Some PCB designers are apprehensive about AI, fearing that it will take away their jobs. But that doesn’t seem to be the case, according to PCB007 Editor Nolan Johnson, who attended the Wednesday afternoon panel, “AI in Electronics: What Can We Expect?”
Nolan shared the following observations from panelist Sebastian Schaal of Luminous: “AI in PCB today is at a level similar to assembly language for software developers. Higher-level programming tools did not take away jobs; they just made us much more effective.”
On Tuesday, Zuken announced AIPR for its CR-8000 PCB design tools. Kyle Miller, PhD, the scientist behind the development of the tool’s AI, also took part in the AI panel. Right now, Zuken’s AI will only work with CR-8000, but Kyle expects their tool to be able to read in IPC-2581 data soon.
PCB West was a definite success. Let’s hope this marks a harbinger for the rest of the trade show season.
Share on:
Testimonial
"Your magazines are a great platform for people to exchange knowledge. Thank you for the work that you do."
Simon Khesin - Schmoll MaschinenSuggested Items
A Necessary Shift From Gerber to IPC-2581
05/07/2026 | Tracy Riggan, Global Electronics AssociationIPC-2581 is an open, vendor-neutral data exchange standard developed by the Global Electronics Association to streamline the exchange of PCB design information across fabrication, assembly, and test. It replaces multiple legacy formats—including industry standards, Gerber, and ODB++—with a single, comprehensive, XML-based dataset that captures all manufacturing details.
ViaSat-3 F3 Satellite Successfully Launches from Kennedy Space Center
05/04/2026 | BoeingBoeing mission controllers confirmed that the ViaSat-3 F3 (VS-3 F3) satellite is healthy in orbit following its successful launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket at 10:13 a.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.
Microchip Expands Post-Quantum Root of Trust Controllers
04/29/2026 | MicrochipAs the industry embarks on the transition to post‑quantum cryptography (PQC), Microchip Technology is expanding its portfolio of Trust Shield, PQC‑ready devices with the TS1800 Platform Root of Trust controller and the TS50x secure boot controller.
Is China Plus One Still Happening in the PCB Industry?
04/28/2026 | Manfred Huschka, Manfred Huschka Management Consulting (Shenzhen) Ltd.For much of the past five years, China Plus One has been shorthand for supply-chain diversification: reducing dependency on mainland China by adding manufacturing capacity elsewhere in Asia. In the PCB industry, however, in early 2026, it is more nuanced. It looks less like a clean geographic shift and more like a layered, capital-intensive rebalancing of global capacity, one that still leaves China deeply embedded at the center.
TRI Launches New Wafer Inspection and Metrology Platform
04/28/2026 | TRITest Research, Inc. (TRI), the leading provider of Test and Inspection solutions for the electronics manufacturing industry, is proud to announce the launch of the TR7950Q SII Series.