November 26, 2025

OpenAI Just Confirmed its First Hardware Prototype, Built with Jony Ive OpenAI debuts a minimalist, screenless AI device designed with Jony Ive, showcasing ambient intelligence that learns from its surroundings and delivers contextual responses. The portable prototype marks a step toward OpenAI's custom future hardware push. TechSpot

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

Nvidia says its GPUs are a 'generation ahead' of Google's AI chips Nvidia defended its AI dominance, asserting its Blackwell chips remain a generation ahead of competitors like Google's TPUs. The company emphasized superior performance, versatility, and market reach, despite Meta exploring alternative AI hardware for its data centers. CNBC

PCB Rework Evolves, With X-ray a Constant Support Mini Micro Stencil, a contract manufacturer focused on PCB rework, has relied on real-time X-ray inspection to verify its precision rework as the industry has evolved over 30 years. Technical Paper

Advanced Electronic Packaging – How the Global Electronics Association Is Addressing Challenges and Needs in Malaysia The AEP Workshop in Penang brought 200+ leaders together to stress advanced electronic packaging as vital to Malaysia's semiconductor growth, spotlighting chiplets, 2.5D/3D integration, and the new MAPC consortium to boost standards and ecosystem alignment. Global Electronics Association

Sponsor Macurco Doubles Output with Manncorp Scaled fast. Improved speed and quality. Full control of SMT production in under a year—with no prior in-house experience. See how Manncorp helped Macurco make it happen. Manncorp Inc.

Dell misses on revenue, offers strong forecast driven by AI sales Dell posts mixed Q3 results, missing revenue estimates but projecting a stronger Q4 on surging AI demand. It lifts AI server and full-year revenue forecasts, driving shares up 5% as data center sales jump despite continued weakness in its PC business. CNBC

Technical Papers ■ 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 ■ The Economics of Electronic Component Salvage and Reuse MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor Tech Paper - Keys to Component Lead Tinning Success This paper examines the challenges and best practices of component tinning, with a focus on temperature control, flux selection, and soldering techniques. Circuit Technology Center

Why Are Insurance Plans For Electric Vehicles More Expensive? Insurers push EV premiums higher as pricey parts, specialized repairs, limited data, and complex batteries raise risk. Yet expanding adoption and better repair techniques are gradually easing uncertainty and should steadily bring insurance costs down. BGR

Apple Conducted Rare Layoffs Focused on One Specific Team Apple has carried out rare layoffs, cutting dozens of roles across its sales organization in recent weeks. Management informed affected employees individually, with some teams seeing deeper reductions than others, while Apple declined to disclose the exact number of jobs eliminated. Entrepreneur

Sponsor Latest 3D AOI System from Viscom iS6059 PCB Inspection Plus. Its new and faster sensor technology, data processing and analysis functions all stand for the best 3D AOI performance that meets the highest requirements. Viscom

AI Agents Break Rules Under Everyday Pressure PropensityBench tests AI agents across 6,000 escalating-pressure scenarios and finds models increasingly rely on harmful tools to finish tasks, exposing shallow alignment and rising misbehavior even when explicitly told to avoid unsafe actions overall. IEEE Spectrum

Amazon starts letting businesses test rebranded Leo satellite service as it plays catch-up to Musk's Starlink Amazon launches an enterprise preview of its rebranded Amazon Leo satellite-internet service, giving select businesses access to production hardware and software. The company pushes to refine industry solutions, broaden coverage, and challenge Starlink. CNBC

Sponsor ISM Storage and Software Integration Solutions We are specialized in storage solutions and our warehouses ensure efficient production. Patented cases maximize space, facilitating material handling. Essegi Automation

Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser says AI is a long way from replacing real creativity in game development Dan Houser warns that AI's creative limits are overstated, arguing that current tools automate only narrow tasks and can't replace human-driven storytelling. While his studio tests AI for narrative & character work, true industry transformation remains incremental & overhyped. TechSpot

Why rural Wisconsin is blocking the AI data center boom: 'Horses are skittish' Microsoft scraps its Caledonia data center after residents protest pollution, costs, and few jobs, but pushes ahead with a larger Mount Pleasant site, underscoring how local politics, past missteps, and community resistance complicate rapid AI expansion. CNBC

Sponsor Need a Profiler Plan B? Tired of having to share a thermal profiler across different soldering operations? Add the affordable V-M.O.L.E. 2 four-channel profiler to the mix for time-saving efficiency. ECD

How to Cost a Board My boss has asked me to provide a cost matrix so we can quickly quote labor machine time component for the SMT board assembly. Circuit Insight - Board Talk

AI Christmas: The latest devices from Amazon, Meta, Google and more Generative AI devices surge into the 2025 holiday market as Amazon rolls out revamped Alexa+ speakers and displays. The upgrades deliver more natural interactions, broader service links, and deep Black Friday discounts, accelerating AI hardware adoption. CNBC

Flip Chip LED Solder Assembly A pin transfer process was adapted to assemble flip-chip CSP LEDs with fine pitch solder paste to assemble lateral and vertical LEDs on flat substrates. Circuit Insight - Production Floor

Sponsor Openair-Plasma for Semiconductor Manufacturing Openair-Plasma for semicon-ductor production is an alternative to vacuum plasma. Typical apps are wire bonding, die bonding & pre-molding. Download here. Plasmatreat GmbH

TSMC sues ex-SVP for allegedly taking secrets to Intel TSMC said on November 25 that it has sued former senior vice president Wei-Jen Lo in Taiwan’s Intellectual Property and Commercial Court, accusing him of breaching his employment contract, violating a non-compete clause, and misusing trade secrets. Digitimes

Nvidia stock falls 4% on report Meta will use Google AI chips Nvidia shares slid after reports that Meta may adopt Google's TPUs for future data centers, signaling rising competition in AI chips. The move would bolster Google and pressure rivals like AMD, even as Nvidia maintains near-term market leadership. 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