I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week

Estimated reading time: 2 minutes

I just finished counting the percentage of times in which artificial intelligence/machine learning/data analytics topics appeared in the I-Connect007 news this week. What do you think the percentage is? AI has moved well beyond a technical term; heck, it has clearly also eclipsed catch-phrase status. It seems a foregone conclusion that AI applications will be inserting themselves into manufacturing just as they are appearing in our handheld devices.

Speaking of handhelds, that market seems to be growing as well. This week’s five must-reads include smartphone market data, telecom infrastructure development, a new white paper on the influence of data analytics, a report on the European market, and the launch of a new podcast series on PCB 3.0, a new design methodology. See what I mean? If it isn’t AI/ML/DA directly, the news is a first cousin to those three topics. Have a wonderful start to the month of March.

On the Line With… Talks With Cadence Experts on Changing How Circuit Boards Are Designed
Published February 29

The I-Connect007 podcast series, “On The Line With…” hit the ground running in 2024. This week, the podcast, in concert with Cadence Design Systems, launched a new series on intelligent system design. The introductory episode released this week. Read more about why you should be listening to this podcast series here. 

Worldwide Smartphone Recovery Is Happening as Shipments Are Forecast to Grow 2.8% in 2024
Published February 23

As this article points out, the global smartphone market has shrunk six out of the last seven years. Factors include longer device lifetimes, amplified by rising cost for the devices themselves, and a somewhat slower innovation cycle. 2024, however, is expected to deliver nearly 3% growth, reaching 1.2 billion units. Learn more here.

New Funding to Put the UK at Heart of Next Generation Telecommunications Services
Published February 26

Here’s an example how telecom infrastructure and cell phone demand are undergoing a resurgence. In this case, the development work incorporated telecom networks, both terrestrial and space-based. This is just one of the wireless communications related news items this week. 

Ups and Downs in the World Market
Published February 29, 2024

Pete Starkey again delivers his detailed coverage of the EIPC Winter Conference, held this year in southwest Germany. Does any of their reporting comes as a surprise to you? I’ll let you be the judge. Starkey chronicles the speakers and their presentations, making, as ever, valuable reading for anyone following the European PCB industry.

IPC White Paper Emphasizes Critical Importance of Data Analytics for Electronics Manufacturing Process
Published February 26

“Multiple factors challenge the status quo of how electronics manufacturers are managed, including the blurring of the line between semiconductor and circuit manufacturing and the rapidly increasing demand for additional electronics manufacturing caused by the adoption of high-performance computing, electric vehicles, and consumer electronics, among other challenges. These pressures require manufacturers to pay closer attention to data analytics to increase productivity and reduce error and waste.” Read more here; access the whitepaper via ipc.org.

If you’ve stayed with me until the end, my answer about AI in the news is nearly 10%. Maybe that doesn’t sound like much, but when you consider how fast this technology has hit us, it’s a pretty big number.