May 20, 2026

The iPhone Fold Is Coming: What We Know, What's Rumored, And When It Could Launch Apple appears ready to enter the foldable phone market with the rumored iPhone Fold, featuring a Galaxy Z Fold-style design, reduced screen crease, A20 chip, and massive battery. However, its expected $2,000-plus price and lack of Face ID could spark debate among buyers. BGR

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Gartner Forecasts Worldwide AI Spending to Grow 47% in 2026 Gartner forecasts global AI spending will reach $2.59 trillion in 2026, rising 47% year over year as demand for AI infrastructure surges. Enterprises are expected to boost investments in GenAI and AI agents, driving rapid growth in servers, cloud capacity, and automation tools. Gartner

The Drawbacks of Internal Recycling Systems for Solder Dross This paper examines the risks and hidden costs of in-house solder dross recycling, highlighting contamination, compliance, quality, safety, and economic challenges that often outweigh perceived savings. Technical Paper

Robots Could Turn E-Waste Into a Source of Legacy Chips Rising global e-waste rules are boosting smarter recycling as startups like Tuurny deploy AI-powered robots to recover reusable chips and metals before shredding. The company aims to scale RAM extraction amid supply chain and mineral concerns. IEEE Spectrum

Sponsor Optimizing BGA Rework: Challenges, Techniques and Quality Control The complexity of BGA packages introduces challenges during rework requiring innovative methods and inspection practices to ensure performance and reliability. Read more. BEST Inc.

Google gives first glimpse of new AI glasses ahead of fall launch Google unveiled audio-only smart glasses developed with Samsung, Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, embedding its Gemini assistant to deliver private spoken information, navigation and messaging features as it competes with Meta in the growing AI wearables market. CNBC

The Impact of the Gold Layer Thickness on Layer Properties The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of the gold layer thickness on the ENIG layer performance in different perspectives. Technical Paper

Technical Papers ■ Evaluation of Techniques for Intentional Contamination of PWB Substrates for Quantitative Cleanliness Analyses ■ Scaling SMT Traceability ■ The Drawbacks of Internal Recycling Systems for Solder Dross ■ Engineering ESD-Safe PCB Assembly for High-Reliability IoT and Industrial Electronics ■ The Analysis of Variance: Drawing Conclusions from Data That Are Correct, Unambiguous, and Defensible ■ PCB Rework Evolves, With X-ray a Constant Support ■ 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 MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

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Google is making AI images easier to create, and deepfakes easier to spot Google expands tools to fight AI image manipulation as deepfakes grow harder to detect. It unveils Google Pics for AI photo editing and broadens SynthID and C2PA watermarking across Search, Chrome, and Pixel devices to improve image authenticity. TechSpot

How to use Google's new AI agents to go beyond your standard searches Google unveiled agentic Search at I/O 2026, letting users create and manage AI agents that continuously monitor topics, synthesize information, and send alerts. The agents run 24/7, reduce repeated searching, and will launch this summer in the US. TechCrunch

The Best Method for Reworking Ultra-Micro Chips We are soldering and reworking 0201s and 01005s using hot air solder rework station with adjustable air flow. The minimum air flow will blow parts. Board Talk

Sponsor What Would You Ask Proven Global Manufacturing Leaders? In this 4-part series we asked about: Key Drivers of Success, Scaling Operations Effectively, AI in Manufacturing, and Tools to Empower Operations. No registration Required. Intraratio

RAM makers are taking on massive debt to keep up with AI's chip appetite AI infrastructure demand is reshaping the global memory market, driving HBM and server DRAM shortages that push up SSD and RAM prices. Taiwanese module makers are raising about $880 million in debt to secure inventory amid surging costs. TechSpot

Scaling Down Is the New Scaling Up At Embedded Vision Summit, Meta Reality Labs' Vikas Chandra showcased on-device agentic AI for phones and wearables, pushing perception under tight hardware limits through quantization, architecture, and vision breakthroughs powering sub-1B models. EE Times

Drop/Shock Behavior of Low Temperature Solder BGA This study examines challenges posed by aging, a critical factor influencing the long-term performance of solder joints. Technical Paper

Sponsor Keep Engineering Changes Moving Without Production Delays Design updates shouldn’t slow your build process. With precise, fast-turn rework capabilities, engineering changes can be implemented accurately and efficiently. Circuit Technology Center

Intel may be forcing PC makers to buy its newer 18A chips by cutting off the old ones Intel pushes PC makers in the US, China and Taiwan to adopt its pricier 18A processors, cutting supply of older Intel 7 chips for consumers. The company redirects limited capacity to data centers amid surging AI-driven demand. TechSpot

Apple to host final WWDC of the Tim Cook era on June 8 Apple will open its final Worldwide Developers Conference under CEO Tim Cook on June 8, spotlighting AI-powered Siri upgrades, accessibility tools, and platform updates before Cook hands leadership to John Ternus in September. TechSpot

Sponsor Depaneling machine for separating circuit boards SCHUNK offers solutions for the entire spectrum of the depaneling operation — from product selection, workpiece holder solutions and optimization of milling. SCHUNK

Meta is reassigning 7,000 workers to AI jobs while laying off thousands more Meta is restructuring around artificial intelligence by reassigning 7,000 employees into AI-focused teams while cutting 8,000 jobs. The company is also expanding AI investments, reshaping workflows & using employee activity data to train AI agents despite growing internal backlash. TechSpot

Glass Panel Packaging: Technologies and Applications This paper describes the critical glass packaging technologies, their R&D and commercialization status as well as all the current and future applications. Technical Paper

The AI economy is rewriting the American Dream — and blue-collar workers are poised to win AT&T is ramping up trade training and technician hiring as AI reshapes the labor market and erodes the edge of college degrees. The telecom giant faces a shortage of skilled blue-collar workers while automation pressures entry-level office jobs. CNBC

The Iran war is exposing weak spots in the AI supply chain AI-driven chipmakers posted strong earnings, but companies including TSMC, Foxconn and Infineon warned that the Iran conflict is disrupting semiconductor supply chains, driving up energy, freight and material costs, and threatening AI infrastructure profitability. CNBC

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Reversible glue technology goes electric Researchers at Newcastle University created a reversible conductive glue that could reshape e-waste recycling. The water-based adhesive replaces solder, lets components separate with green solvents, and helps recover silver and electronic materials. Chem Europe.com