January 20, 2026

Musk’s gigawatt AI bet is accelerating the global compute arms race Elon Musk’s xAI reached a major milestone by launching Colossus 2, the world’s first gigawatt-scale AI training cluster, earning praise from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, even as Musk continues to face ongoing legal disputes. Digitimes Asia

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

How SK Hynix Redefined the Memory Market The global memory market is splitting into two segments as SK Hynix transforms from a traditional chipmaker into an AI infrastructure leader, dominating high bandwidth memory through heavy investment, persistent shortages, and a reshaped global supply chain. EE Times

The Economics of Electronic Component Salvage and Reuse This paper explores the feasibility and benefits of salvaging and reconditioning the leads and pads of electronic components, focusing on high-value components such as microprocessors, microcontrollers, and artificial intelligence chips. Technical Paper

IMF lifts 2026 global growth forecast but flags AI, trade risks The IMF raised its 2026 global growth forecast to 3.3 percent, citing strong technology investment, but warned that concentrated sectoral resilience, shifting expectations around AI productivity, or renewed trade tensions could still disrupt the global economic outlook. Taipei Times

Sponsor Maintenance: The Basics of Cleaning Series Part 4 This is the final paper in a series and discusses some of the common mistakes in maintenance cleaning applications found in electronic assembly operations. KYZEN

Chinese economy sees slowest growth in decades China’s economy expanded five percent last year, one of its slowest rates in decades, meeting official targets but relying heavily on exports as weak consumer spending, property-sector debt, and a late-year slowdown highlighted persistent economic challenges. Taipei Times

Predicting the Reliability of Package-On-Package Interconnections Package-on-package technologies are being considered to reduce the size, weight, and power of military, space, and satellite electronics. Technical Paper

Technical Papers ■ 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 ■ Understanding Solder Dross: Causes and Control Strategies ■ Optimizing BGA Rework: Challenges, Techniques and Quality Control ■ Maintenance: The Basics of Cleaning Series Part 4 MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor Malcom Paste Mixers Unlike hand mixing, the Malcom SPS Solder Paste Mixer is a non-contaminating mixer which utilizes pseudo planetary motion to stir the solder paste. The SPS-1 provides uniform consistency. Seika

Apple phone shipments jump in China after slump Apple reclaimed the top spot in China as iPhone shipments surged 28 percent during the holiday quarter, driven by the iPhone 17 series, while Huawei and Xiaomi declined amid an industry-wide memory chip shortage and overall market contraction. Taipei Times

Nearly 39% of 4G users switched to 5G last year: NCC An NCC survey shows 38.7 percent of 4G users upgraded to 5G last year, driven mainly by new contracts and device discounts, while many still resist switching due to costs, satisfaction with 4G performance, and limited perceived need. Taipei Times

No-Clean Residue Shorts We have a PCBA with a QFN 44 using no-clean flux. We have many test failures during testing. Are the failures due to flux reside between terminations? Jim Hall and Phil Zarrow, The Assembly Brothers, answer this question. Board Talk

Sponsor Need Improved Solder Joint Visibility? Solder Peel-A-Way° Removable Terminal Carriers in place and peel the carrier away for complete solder joint visibility on both sides of the PCB. Watch a video to see it in action. Advanced Interconnections Corp.

I’m an AI Architect: You’re Not Being Replaced — You’re Being Revalued A laid-off tech worker advertising himself via QR codes highlights a deeper shift: top students now face zero offers as tech unemployment rises. AI threatens to replace engineers, signaling a fundamental restructuring of human labor’s value. Entrepreneur

What Happens To Your Computer When You Leave It On All The Time? Debate continues over whether to shut down or leave PCs running. Experts say the best choice depends on usage habits, energy costs, heat-related wear, boot stress, convenience, and cybersecurity, with pros and cons for both overnight shutdowns and continuous operation. BGR

Additive Manufacturing Printed Circuit Board Assembly Processes Utilizing 3D printing, the design process can be shortened and the manufacturing of the jigs and fixtures can replace the cost and lead time of traditional manufacturing. Technical Paper

Sponsor 5 Keys to Component Lead Tinning Success Re-conditioning of electronic components mitigates gold embrittlement, eliminates tin whiskers enhancing quality and sustainability prior to soldering. BEST Inc.

Foxconn strengthens US server presence post-tariff deal After the Taiwan–US tariff framework concluded, industry focus shifted to how Foxconn will adjust its operations and strategy. Although the electronics giant has issued no official statement, analysts closely watch its next moves amid evolving trade dynamics. Digitimes Asia

China hits growth goal after exports defy US tariffs China said its economy grew 5% last year, hitting Beijing’s target as record exports offset weak domestic demand, a property slump and tariffs. Analysts doubt the data and warn a two-speed economy and falling births deepen long-term challenges. BBC

Sponsor Highly Thermally & Electrically Conductive TLPS via Filing Paste New filing highlights advanced sintered metal paste enabling faster installation, superior heat dissipation, higher conductivity, and reliable thermal drain performance without long processing cycles. Ormet TLPS

Tax break possible for San Antonio plant that could create 3,000 jobs Bexar County commissioners will consider a proposed 10-year, 70% property tax break for Industrial Electric Manufacturing’s $200 million South Side plant, potentially creating nearly 3,000 jobs, alongside votes on road projects, parks funding, grants, and community recognitions. Texas Public Radio

Multilayer Ceramic Capacitors: Mitigating Rising Failure Rates The multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) has become a widely used electronics component both for surface mount and embedded PCB applications. Technical Paper

Why Quobly, STMicro, Soitec See Quantum as a Manufacturing Challenge French startup Quobly is tackling quantum computing's biggest hurdle—scalability—by designing silicon spin qubits around standard FD-SOI semiconductor manufacturing, partnering with STMicroelectronics and Soitec to prioritize reproducibility, yield, and industrial-scale production. EE Times

VIEWPOINT 2026: Ms. Ai Nagakubo, Branch Manager, Yamaha Robotics Europe As current technical trends in surface-mount automation align with industry-wide moves towards intelligent factories, 2026 will see Yamaha Robotics unveil important innovations for our 1 STOP SMART SOLUTION and factory software tools. Yamaha Robotics will continue to invest in new product development. ... Yamaha Robotics Europe

Sponsor Vapor Phase Profiling Thermal profiling the vapor phase soldering process – especially those with vacuum – is challenging. ECD's M-VP™ sealed barrier can take it. Learn more. ECD

Quanta Sees Robust AI Demand Quanta says its AI business will surge triple digits this year, lifting capex plans in the US and Thailand as orders extend into 2027. Executives reject an AI bubble, cite data-center expansion, and see AI servers reaching 80% of revenue. Taipei Times