March 13, 2026

The Silicon Hegemon Taiwan dominates the semiconductor industry, producing about 92% of the world’s most advanced chips. Led by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, its pure-play foundry model powers global tech firms while driving AI growth, even as energy limits and geopolitical tensions threaten this critical supply-chain hub. EE Times

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

If You Think Laptops Are Expensive In 2026, You Won't Believe What They Cost In The '80s Modern laptops may seem pricey, but early machines cost far more. The 1982 GRiD Compass 1101 launched at $8,150, while models like Macintosh Portable neared $6,500—yet even today’s $230 Asus Vivobook Go Slim easily outperforms them. BGR

RAIG Minimizes Corrosion, Allows Higher Gold on ENEPIG Paper describes a mixed reaction RAIG electrolyte that minimizes galvanic corrosion and allows higher ENEPIG gold thicknesses, enabling robust designs and world-class quality on target with minimal variation. Technical Paper

Oracle prepares new round of layoffs while doubling down on AI infrastructure OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met lawmakers in Washington after the company’s deal with the Department of Defense. Sen. Mark Kelly raised concerns about AI in warfare, urging guardrails and legislation as tensions with rival Anthropic spotlight surveillance risks. TechSpot

Sponsor Dedicated Tool for Process Development Advanced plating capability at Uyemura Tech Center: Process Development, UBM, pilot production. ENIG, ENEPIG, EPIG/EPAG, RAIG immersion gold; all substrates. On-site analysis. Uyemura

Sam Altman faced ‘serious questions’ in meeting with lawmakers about OpenAI’s defense work OpenAI CEO Sam Altman met lawmakers in Washington after the company’s deal with the Department of Defense. Sen. Mark Kelly raised concerns about AI in warfare, urging guardrails and legislation as tensions with rival Anthropic spotlight surveillance risks. CNBC

Investigation of Overprinting BGA Pads The added benefit of using overprinting stencil design strategy is that this should compel further improvement in paste transfer efficiency and uniformity by raising its area ratio. In this study the circle shape overprint apertures were designed for 0.5mm pitch BGA land patterns that measured to an area ratio value of 0.70. Technical Paper

Technical Papers ■ 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 ■ Understanding Solder Dross: Causes and Control Strategies MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor High Accuracy SMT / SEMI Inspection Discover TRI's High Accuracy Inspection Solutions for the SMT and SEMI Back-End Electronics Manufacturing. Test Research, Inc.

Beyond Bandwidth: The Industry is Striving for Custom Memory (Part 2) Chipmakers are developing custom memory to push AI performance beyond standard HBM4E. Companies including Marvell Technology, Samsung Electronics, Micron Technology, SK Hynix, Global Unichip Corp., and imec are advancing architectures that boost bandwidth, efficiency, and capacity for next-generation AI accelerators. EE Times

7 Annoying EV Myths That Just Refuse To Die Read More: https://www.bgr.com/2118575/most-annoying-electric-vehicle-myths/ Electric vehicle adoption has surged to over 25% of global new car sales, yet misinformation persists. Experts counter myths about emissions, cost, and range, showing EVs produce far lower lifetime emissions, cost less to run, and now offer significantly improved driving range. BGR

Crack Propagation Mechanism Study on Bismuth Contained Base Lead Free Solder The thermal cycling reliability characteristics of solder containing a small amount of Bismuth which is below 4wt% in accordance with the new requirements were investigated. Technical Paper

Sponsor Precision Control for BGA Rework Vacuum sensing electronics provide control for gentle, automatic component removal while a non-contact site cleaning tip's height is accurately monitored and maintained. Air-Vac Engineering

AI Was Supposed to Make Work Easier. A New Study Shows It’s Doing the Opposite. An analysis of 164,000 workers shows AI is intensifying work rather than easing it. Use of email, messaging, and management software surged, while focused work time fell. Researchers warn that AI-driven efficiency may increase cognitive overload, burnout, and long-term declines in work quality. Entrepreneur

40 Years of Wireless Evolution Leads to a Smart, Sensing Network The upcoming 6G era will transform connectivity beyond speed, creating a universal data fabric where millions of agents collaborate across digital and physical worlds. Building on 1G–5G evolution, 6G will fundamentally reshape how devices, networks, and applications interact, advancing system-wide intelligence. IEEE Spectrum

Fabriciton of NiCo Alloy and Rh Coating Using Electroplating Method The properties of NiCo deposits were analyzed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Technical Paper

Sponsor From Slave to Master: flexible ISM integrations ESSEGI AUTOMATION's ISM software integrates with 250+ brands, connecting ERP, MES, WMS, Pick & Place and X-Ray systems. Flexible logic allows it to operate as master or slave in any production flow. Essegi Automation

Lobster buffet: China’s tech firms feast on OpenClaw as companies race to deploy AI agents China is rapidly adopting the open-source AI agent OpenClaw as tech firms and local governments expand access. Companies like Tencent and ByteDance launch simplified tools and services, boosting consumer uptake while raising privacy concerns and accelerating demand for Chinese AI models. CNBC

Honor flagship phone to launch in Taiwan by 2Q26, shaking up market Honor plans to enter the Taiwanese smartphone market in 2026 by opening retail stores and selling phones and accessories. Its flagship Honor Magic8 Pro has received certification from Taiwan’s National Communications Commission and could launch as early as the second quarter. Digitimes

Sponsor X-ray Rentals & Rent-to-Own Rent any of our machine models, with up to 3 months of rental costs applied toward purchasing X-ray equipment. Our flexible plan lets you test the system before committing to purchase. Glenbrook Technologies

Meta designs four in-house chips to power data centers Meta Platforms unveiled plans for four generations of in-house artificial intelligence chips as it expands data center infrastructure. The move aims to strengthen control over AI hardware, improve performance efficiency, and support rapidly growing AI workloads across its platforms. Digitimes

Blow Holes After Switching from Lead-Free HASL to ENIG After switching our PCB finish from lead-free HASL to ENIG blow holes started occurring in the solder joints of the through-hole LEDs. The PCBs and LEDs are from the same suppliers as before, only the finish changed. Board Talk

Pegatron Eyes 10-fold AI Server Growth Pegatron Corp said it plans to grow AI server revenue more than tenfold this year, driven by demand for Nvidia GB300 server platform systems and cloud clients. Shipments are expected to rise quarterly, though near-term margins may face pressure from infrastructure investments. Taipei Times

Apple's Foldable iPhone Just Got Its Most Convincing Leak Yet Apple's foldable iPhone looks closer to launch as new CAD renders reveal a book-style design resembling a mini tablet. The leak aligns with earlier reports, hinting at a possible fall debut as Samsung begins producing Apple’s crease‑reduced foldable displays. CNET

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

Why AI Chatbots Agree With You Even When You're Wrong AI researchers warn that chatbots often display "sycophancy," agreeing with users even when they're wrong. Studies from OpenAI and Anthropic tie the issue to training methods, raising safety concerns, lawsuits, and efforts to build more critical models. IEEE Spectrum