March 27, 2025

U.S. Blacklists Over 50 Chinese Companies in Bid to Curb Beijing's AI, Chip Capabilities The U.S. blacklisted over 50 Chinese tech firms to curb Beijing's access to AI and quantum technologies, citing national security threats. The move targets military-linked development and closes loopholes exploited to obtain U.S. strategic tech. CNBC

Sponsor Visual Inspection Essentials in PCB Manufacturing Curious how Manual Visual Inspection (MVI) keeps PCB manufacturing flawless? Discover why MVI is crucial for top-quality production and smooth process management. Vision Engineering

VIEWPOINT 2025: Gustavo Sepulveda, Process Automation Business Head, Panasonic Connect North America The manufacturing sector stands at the threshold of transformation, driven by advancements in technology, shifting global priorities, and the demand for more sustainable and agile operations. As we move into 2025, the adoption of emerging technologies is no longer a matter of innovation – it's a competitive necessity. ... Panasonic Connect North America

Electronic Assembly Cleaning Basics: Manual Concentration Monitoring Methods Monitoring and effectively controlling chemistry concentration when cleaning electronic assemblies is crucial for maintaining optimal cleanliness results and preventing costly consequences with final products. Technical Paper

SEMI Country excerpt 3: How Foxconn redefines manufacturing At Foxconn's 50th anniversary, Apple CEO Tim Cook praised the company's speed and impact. Chairman Young Liu outlined Foxconn's post-Gou era vision: evolving from top-down manufacturing to a bottom-up IoT model, redefining its role in global tech. Digitimes

Sponsor Pioneering 3D X-ray Inspection for Flat Assemblies Viscom is setting a new standard for high-precision inline X-ray inspection of printed circuit boards with its iX7059 product line. Learn more. Viscom

Former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger jumps to venture capital, joins Playground Global After a rocky Intel tenure, Pat Gelsinger is diving into venture capital, joining Playground Global as general partner. He brings decades of tech experience and aims to scale deep-tech innovation without the grind of building a firm from scratch. CNBC

Technical Papers ■ Recycling vs Circularity: Minimising E-Waste in Manufacturing ■ Optimizing Cleaning Strategies for Advanced Packaging Technologies with Low Standoff Components ■ Probe Card Manufacturer 'Sees the Unseen' With X-ray ■ Electronic Assembly Cleaning Basics: Manual Concentration Monitoring Methods ■ An Eight-Step Methodology for Bringing a Process Under Statistical Control ■ Bismuth in Solder Alloys: From Bulk Constituent in Low Temp to Performance Enhancer in High Rel ■ Plasma as a Key Technology: Increasing Efficiency and Quality Assurance in the Electronics Industry ■ Use of Numerical Simulation Methods for the Development of Thermal Systems & Coating Equipment ■ Recent Advances in Final Finishes Push Past the Limits of Conventional Electrolytes ■ Smart pH Employment in Electronic Cleaning MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor Circuitnet Advertising Delivers Results! Introduce your technology, new products or services in our daily e-mail newsletter & website to see how a digital advertising campaign can deliver results. Reach over 200,000 professionals. Circuitnet LLC

Trump says he may reduce China tariffs to help close a TikTok deal Trump signaled he may reduce tariffs on China to secure a TikTok deal, pushing ByteDance to divest U.S. operations. He suggested extending the April 5 deadline, while JD Vance expressed confidence a national security–focused deal would happen. CNBC

OpenAI expects revenue will triple to $12.7 billion this year, source says OpenAI expects revenue to triple to $12.7 billion in 2025, as competition intensifies in generative AI. The company is shifting leadership roles, expanding features like native image generation, and attracting major investment at a $260 billion valuation. CNBC

Sponsor Refurbished and Demo X-ray Inspection Systems 2024 Demo JewelBox-70T X-ray System and 2024 Demo JewelBox-100T X-ray System Refurbished & Demo Systems on sale with warranty. Learn more. Glenbrook Technologies

How to Delegate Effectively and Unlock Your Business's Full Potential Entrepreneurs often burn out juggling every task alone. To scale effectively, they should offload work through automation, outsourcing, or hiring. Each option offers benefits, from saving time to boosting quality—freeing founders to focus on growth and strategy. Entrepreneur

AI Drives PCie 6 Interoperability Testing Broadcom and Astera Labs are tackling the growing complexity of PCIe 6.0, driven by AI workloads, with new tools to ensure interoperability. Their advanced platforms help data centers maximize performance and streamline adoption ahead of PCIe 7.0's release. EE Times

Sponsor Die-Module Attach (Pastes & Films) Die-Attach Adhesives with low moisture absorption for MSL Level-1 applications for reliability. Outstanding thermal conductivity with low moisture absorption- stress-free bonding. AI Technology, Inc.

China is top threat to US, report says U.S. intelligence agencies warn China poses the most significant military and cyber threat, advancing capabilities to seize Taiwan. The report highlights Beijing's growing coercion, cyberattacks, and military buildup, while noting China's intent to undermine U.S. influence. Taipei Times

US adds dozens of Chinese entities to export blacklist over AI and military concerns The U.S. blacklisted over 70 Chinese tech firms to curb China's military-focused AI, quantum, and chip development. China condemned the move, calling it a sign of U.S. anxiety over its rapid technological rise and ongoing military modernization. TechSpot

Sponsor Save Without Compromise Unlike other low-silver alloys, REL61 delivers 10-20% cost savings while improving performance across key metrics—no trade-offs needed. AIM Solder

TSMC spends just 10% more on silicon wafers manufactured in the USA than in Taiwan fabs A new TechInsights analysis challenges TSMC's claims that U.S. chipmaking is far pricier, revealing Arizona wafer production costs just 10% more than in Taiwan. Despite this, TSMC plans to charge a 30% premium on U.S.-made chips. TechSpot

Considerations for Designing Industrial Robotics and Controllers Renesas' Masatoshi Yamazaki pushes to simplify industrial system design by consolidating components, boosting communication, and using flexible software—slashing complexity, cutting costs, and scaling efficiently while addressing legacy integration and software migration hurdles. EE Times

Lower-Temperature Lead-Free Solder Paste for Wafer-Level Package Lower-temperature paste can be reflowed under a relatively lower peak temperature profile and outperform SAC305 paste in the current WLP256 application. Circuit Insight - Materials Tech

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

TSMC's 2nm chips near production, iPhone 18 Pro likely to be first to adopt TSMC is set to take 2nm wafer orders next week, with mass production likely starting this year. Apple will debut the tech in 2026’s iPhone 18 Pro. Intel, AMD, and others are also lining up for early adoption. TechSpot

Copper Electrodeposition By Hydrogen Evolution Assisted Electroplacing A technique called hydrogen evolution assisted electroplating, has shown enhancement to the deposition rate of copper compared to galvanostatic conventional electroplating methods. Circuit Insight - Production Floor

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