Fresh PCB Concepts: Assembly Challenges with Micro Components and Standard Solder Mask Practices
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
Beyond Design: The Metamorphosis of the PCB Router
DigiKey Announces Sponsorship of KiCad to Support Open-Source EDA Development
March 26, 2025 | DigiKeyEstimated reading time: 1 minute
DigiKey, a leading global commerce distributor offering the largest selection of technical components and automation products in stock for immediate shipment, is proud to announce its continued sponsorship of KiCad, the leading open-source Electronic Design Automation (EDA) suite, reinforcing a shared commitment to advancing open-source tools for the electrical engineering community.
DigiKey is proud to continue its sponsorship of the KiCad open-source Electronic Design Automation suite.
KiCad’s mission is to provide the best possible cross platform electronics design application for professional electronics designers. The organization has been instrumental in providing an accessible, approachable program, enabling engineers, students and professionals to design printed circuit boards (PCBs) without the constraints of costly software licenses. DigiKey has been supporting KiCad for seven years, including past fund-drives, promotions and securing the kicad.org domain to ensure the project’s continued accessibility to the global engineering community.
“DigiKey is thrilled to once again support KiCad, which provides an essential tool for electronics designers worldwide,” said Cody Walseth, digital product owner at DigiKey. “At DigiKey, we believe that accessible, open-source design tools are vital to fostering creativity, and advancing technology and our sponsorship of KiCad reaffirms our commitment to providing engineers with the best resources to bring their ideas to life.”
Through the fund-drive donation match campaign, DigiKey continues supporting the KiCad platform and community, helping to increase community-submitted donations to contribute to critical feature enhancements, usability improvements and long-term sustainability of KiCad version 10.
“KiCad is grateful for our longstanding partnership with DigiKey,” said Wayne Stambaugh, project leader at KiCad. “DigiKey’s continued support has helped the project to grow substantially over the years, and we look forward to many more years of bringing open-source electronic design to engineers around the world.”
As engineers and innovators continue to push the boundaries of electronics design, KiCad remains steadfast in its mission to support accessible, high-quality design tools, while DigiKey continues to be the leading source of products, helping shorten the design cycle and accelerate progress.
Share on:
Suggested Items
DownStream Acquisition Fits Siemens’ ‘Left-Shift’ Model
06/26/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, I-Connect007I recently spoke to DownStream Technologies founder Joe Clark about the company’s acquisition by Siemens. We were later joined by A.J. Incorvaia, Siemens’ senior VP of electronic board systems. Joe discussed how he, Rick Almeida, and Ken Tepper launched the company in the months after 9/11 and how the acquisition came about. A.J. provides some background on the acquisition and explains why the companies’ tools are complementary.
Elementary Mr. Watson: Retro Routers vs. Modern Boards—The Silent Struggle on Your Screen
06/26/2025 | John Watson -- Column: Elementary, Mr. WatsonThere's a story about a young woman preparing a holiday ham. Before putting it in the pan, she cuts off the ends. When asked why, she shrugs and says, "That's how my mom always did it." She asks her mother, who gives the same answer. Eventually, the question reaches Grandma, who laughs and says, "Oh, I only cut the ends off because my pan was too small." This story is a powerful analogy for how many PCB designers approach routing today.
Siemens Turbocharges Semiconductor and PCB Design Portfolio with Generative and Agentic AI
06/24/2025 | SiemensAt the 2025 Design Automation Conference, Siemens Digital Industries Software today unveiled its AI-enhanced toolset for the EDA design flow.
Cadence AI Autorouter May Transform the Landscape
06/19/2025 | Andy Shaughnessy, Design007 MagazinePatrick Davis, product management director with Cadence Design Systems, discusses advancements in autorouting technology, including AI. He emphasizes a holistic approach that enhances placement and power distribution before routing. He points out that younger engineers seem more likely to embrace autorouting, while the veteran designers are still wary of giving up too much control. Will AI help autorouters finally gain industry-wide acceptance?
Beyond Design: The Metamorphosis of the PCB Router
06/18/2025 | Barry Olney -- Column: Beyond DesignThe traditional PCB design process is often time-consuming and labor-intensive. Routing a complex PCB layout can consume up to 30% of a designer’s time, and addressing this issue is not straightforward. We have all encountered this scenario: You spend hours setting the constraints and finally hit the Go button, only to be surprised by the lack of visual appeal and the obvious flaws in the result.