October 15, 2025

Smartphone Market Grows 2.6% in Q3 as Upgrades Accelerate, Driven by New Innovative Products Global smartphone shipments rose 2.6% year-over-year to 322.7 million units in Q3 2025, IDC reported, as consumers embraced premium and AI-enabled devices. Apple and Samsung led growth with record results, while Xiaomi, Transsion, and vivo also gained momentum. IDC

Sponsor Inline Automatic X-Ray Inspection: TruView™ Verus TruView™ Verus is a high-resolution inline AXI system offering advanced 2D, 2.5D, and 3D imaging to detect defects in electronic assemblies with exceptional accuracy and speed. Creative Electron

Hon Hai teams up with Nvidia on AI factory infrastructure development Hon Hai Precision (Foxconn) announced a partnership with Nvidia to deploy its 800 VDC data center power architecture in Kaohsiung's K-1 AI center. The move advances high-density AI servers, efficient power distribution, and next-generation GPU integration. Taipei Times

Flux Technology Development for Solder Paste Compatible with Formic Acid Reflow Ovens for Power Devices This paper introduces a newly developed flux technology compatible with formic acid reduction reflow ovens which offers solutions to the issues associated with conventional power device soldering. Technical Paper

ChatGPT Will Soon Roll Back Some Of Its Most Controversial Changes After implementing stricter safeguards following a teen's death, OpenAI plans to ease ChatGPT's restrictions. CEO Sam Altman says new age-gating and safety tools will allow a more versatile, user-friendly version while still protecting vulnerable users. BGR

Sponsor The new Smart Rack Mobile Optimize your workflow with Smart Rack Mobile: intelligent storage, mobility, and real-time component management. Discover more! Essegi Automation

Nokia Bell Labs Breaks Ground for Its New N.J. Headquarters Nokia Bell Labs celebrated its 100th anniversary and broke ground for its new HELIX 2 headquarters in New Brunswick, N.J., aiming to expand research in AI, quantum physics, and communications while fostering startups and innovation in a vibrant academic hub. IEEE Spectrum

Technical Papers ■ How pH Cleaning Agents Affect Production Performance ■ A Universal AI-Powered Segmentation Model for PCBA & Semiconductor ■ RAIG Minimizes Corrosion, Allows Higher Gold on ENEPIG ■ High Reliability Lead-Free Solder Paste with Rosin and Anti-Crack Resin ■ Understanding Solder Dross: Causes and Control Strategies ■ Optimizing BGA Rework: Challenges, Techniques and Quality Control ■ Maintenance: The Basics of Cleaning Series Part 4 ■ The Economics of Electronic Component Salvage and Reuse ■ Cutting Without Contact: How Laser Depanelling Redefines PCB Manufacturing ■ The "Fried Egg" Effect in Soldering MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor Is My PCB Wash Concentration in Check Evaluating wash concentration levels through varying testing methods can potentially save process time, reduce overall process costs, and increase cleaning efficacy on PBCs. Read more. KYZEN

Generative AI Is Revolutionizing SEO. Here's How Marketers Can Keep Up. Generative AI is reshaping SEO by changing how people search, how platforms rank content, and how brands gain visibility. Experts warn that unlike fixed algorithms, AI models produce variable, probabilistic outputs—a feature that offers strategic advantage. Entrepreneur

Why RISC-V + Blockchain Is the Conversation I've Been Waiting to Have RISC-V and blockchain are converging to enable scalable, privacy-focused applications. Using RISC-V as a virtual execution layer for zero-knowledge VMs streamlines verifiable, secure smart contract development, advancing enterprise and government blockchain adoption. EE Times

Sponsor McDry Ultra-Low Humidity Storage Cabinets McDry dry cabinet for MSL components and desiccators provide optimal ultra-low humidity and moisture-proof storage for IC packages. Seika

Bringing the 'Taiwan model' to the US Taiwan's pro-business policies and Hsinchu Science Park have powered TSMC's rise, inspiring U.S. efforts to replicate its "Taiwan model." Strong government backing, streamlined operations, and efficient clusters drive fast, cost-competitive chip production and global impact. Taipei Times

Checking the quality of materials just got easier with a new AI tool MIT engineers created SpectroGen, a generative AI tool that serves as a virtual spectrometer, converting material measurements between scanning modalities with 99% accuracy—accelerating quality control and cutting costs in manufacturing and materials research. MIT News

Sponsor Fast PCBs, Fully Assembled Need it fast? Summit delivers quick-turn PCB fabrication and assembly on compressed timelines—no shortcuts, just speed and precision from one source. Summit Interconnect

Design priorities for autonomous transport for people with disabilities A QUT study of 343 Australians with disabilities identified key autonomous vehicle features to boost accessibility, including spacious interiors, side-entry boarding, adaptable seating, and multi-sensory communication—advancing mobility, safety, and social inclusion. TechXplore

California just passed new AI and social media laws. Here's what they mean for Big Tech California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed new laws boosting child online safety, requiring AI chatbot disclosures, mental health warnings on social media, and age verification tools. The measures aim to shield minors from harmful content and hold Big Tech accountable. CNBC

Sponsor AIT ORMET® TLPS for Component Attach AIT ORMET®TLPS is proven for outstanding reliability for component attaches and MLCC build-up for high temperature applications beyond 175ºC Ormet® TLPS

Thermal Cycle Fatigue Life of Low-Temperature Solders Researchers evaluated thermal cycling fatigue in low-temperature solders with reflow peaks below 200℃, a key reliability factor in electronics. The study reports time-to-failure data for solder interconnects in BGAs, QFNs, and SMR components, advancing material qualification. Circuit Insight - Materials Tech

OCP Summit: Inside Google's plan to make data centers as adaptive as AI itself Google launched an industry-wide initiative to modernize data center design for the AI era, introducing an "agile, fungible data center" workstream under the Open Compute Project (OCP) to promote greater flexibility, scalability, and efficiency in infrastructure development. Digitimes

Environment Impact on Assembly, Printing and Reflow At our SMT facility we currently control ambient temperature (20-30 C), relative humidity (40-60%) and particle count (0.5 um not to exceed 100,000 particles, ISO Class 8). Is particle count a good parameter to control? Circuit Insight - Ask the Experts

Sponsor Discover consistency for your operations Explore the reliable solutions for jet dispensing, conformal coating, plasma treatment, and selective soldering from Nordson. Nordson Electronics Solutions

LG Electronics India makes debut on Indian stock market LG Electronics India made a stellar stock market debut Tuesday, raising 1.8 trillion won ($1.26 billion) as shares surged 45%. CEO Cho Joo-wan unveiled the "Make for India" vision, pledging stronger localization, new factories, and deeper R&D investment to drive regional growth. The Korea Times

Google to invest $15 billion to build data center hub in India; largest outside of the U.S. Google announced a $15 billion investment to build its largest AI hub outside the U.S. in southern India over five years. The project, led by Google Cloud, will expand data center capacity in Visakhapatnam to meet rising global AI demand. CNBC

Memory Safety Will Be Key to Tackle Fundamental Cyber Security The U.K.'s Digital Security by Design initiative showcased CHERI, a memory-safe hardware technology, in London. Experts praised its cybersecurity potential but noted adoption challenges. With 160+ companies involved, standardizing memory safety remains a key priority. EE Times