-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- design007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueSignal Integrity
If you don’t have signal integrity problems now, you will eventually. This month, our expert contributors share a variety of SI techniques that can help designers avoid ground bounce, crosstalk, parasitic issues, and much more.
Proper Floor Planning
Floor planning decisions can make or break performance, manufacturability, and timelines. This month’s contributors weigh in with their best practices for proper floor planning and specific strategies to get it right.
Showing Some Constraint
A strong design constraint strategy carefully balances a wide range of electrical and manufacturing trade-offs. This month, we explore the key requirements, common challenges, and best practices behind building an effective constraint strategy.
- Articles
- Columns
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - design007 Magazine
Calling All Designers: The Latest Design Technology and AI
March 20, 2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazineEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Advanced design technology and AI were in the spotlight at the annual Design Town Hall, held March 19 during IPC APEX EXPO 2025. Speakers included IPC’s Peter Tranitz, Matt Kelly, and Devan Iyer, as well as a panel on the use of AI in PCB design moderated by Susan Kayesar of Siemens.
After an introduction by Peter, Matt provided an update on IPC’s recent design efforts, and Devan discussed some of the challenges and solutions in chip-package PCB co-design. Peter also spoke about the path forward for the IPC Design Leadership Council, which meets regularly to discuss the issues facing PCB designers and design engineers.
The AI panel was focused on the future, but Susan opened the proceedings with a quote from the opening scene of the dystopic 1936 Charlie Chaplin movie Modern Times: “A story of industry, of individual enterprise—humanity crusading in the pursuit of happiness.” I doubt AI design tools will ever take over the world, but many of us still think of Skynet when we hear the term AI, don’t we?
Seated on the AI panel were (L-R)bDirk Stoop, founder of the EDA software company Flux; Savita Ganjigatti of IPC India; Steve Watt of Zuken; and IPC design instructor Kris Moyer. It was a pretty lively discussion. The panel discussed whether AI in design tools would cause designers to abandon their drive to create artistic layouts and the risks vs. rewards of using AI. What are the limits to AI? How much of the designer’s job could be done with AI? Will AI ever render designers obsolete? (Probably not.) Everyone in the audience raised their hands when asked if they’d ever used AI.
Technical Editor Kelly Dack said the ongoing AI conversation reminds him of how the industry first looked at the cloud 10 years ago. “I’d ask 20 people on the show floor at APEX what they thought about the cloud,” Kelly said. “I’d get 20 different responses. Now the cloud is a part of our lives, and we don’t even think about it. Is AI will be the same way.”
Let’s all give a special thanks to Peter Tranitz for leading the Town Hall and steering IPC’s Design Initiative.
Testimonial
"The I-Connect007 team is outstanding—kind, responsive, and a true marketing partner. Their design team created fresh, eye-catching ads, and their editorial support polished our content to let our brand shine. Thank you all! "
Sweeney Ng - CEE PCBSuggested Items
Deca, Silicon Storage Technology Announce Strategic Collaboration to Enable NVM Chiplet Solutions
09/11/2025 | Microchip Technology Inc.As traditional monolithic chip designs grow in complexity and increase in cost, the interest and adoption of chiplet technology in the semiconductor industry also increases.
I-Connect007 Launches New Podcast Series on Ultra High Density Interconnect (UHDI)
09/10/2025 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 is excited to announce the debut of its latest podcast series, which shines a spotlight on one of the most important emerging innovations in electronics manufacturing: Ultra-High-Density Interconnect (UHDI). The series kicks off with Episode One, “Ultra HDI: What does it mean to people? Why would they want it?” Host Nolan Johnson is joined by guest expert John Johnson, Director of Quality and Advanced Technology at American Standard Circuits (ASC).
Global Citizenship: Together for a Perfect PCB Solution
09/10/2025 | Tom Yang -- Column: Global CitizenshipIf there’s one thing we’ve learned in the past few decades of electronics evolution, it’s that no region has a monopoly on excellence. Whether it’s materials science breakthroughs in Europe, manufacturing efficiencies in China, or design innovations in Silicon Valley, the PCB industry thrives on collaboration.
The Shaughnessy Report: Winning the Signal Integrity Battle
09/09/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy -- Column: The Shaughnessy ReportWhen I first started covering this industry in 1999, signal integrity was the hip new thing in PCB design. Conference classes on signal integrity were packed to the walls, and an SI article was guaranteed to get a lot of reads.
The Signal Integrity Issue: Design007 Magazine September 2025
09/09/2025 | I-Connect007 Editorial TeamAs the saying goes, “If you don’t have signal integrity problems now, you will eventually.” This month, our experts share a variety of design techniques that can help PCB designers and design engineers achieve signal integrity.