February 16, 2026

These Four Charts Show How Reliant Europe is on U.S. Digital Infrastructure Despite pledges for digital independence, Europe remains heavily reliant on U.S. tech providers. American companies dominate the cloud market, holding over 85%, while European firms struggle to compete amid geopolitical tensions and regulatory concerns like the Cloud Act. CNBC

Sponsor Outsourcing: A Risk You Can't Afford Stop risking delays, tariffs, and rising costs with overseas PCB assembly. Bring production in-house with Manncorp for speed, precision, and total control—future-secured. Manncorp Inc.

VIEWPOINT 2026: Dr. George Hsin, Chief Strategy Officer, Taiwan Union Technology Corporation As AI-driven computing accelerates, Taiwan Union Technology Corporation (TUC) continues to advance our high-performance materials that enable reliable, scalable electronic systems across increasingly demanding applications. We are expanding beyond our proven ThunderClad4HN platform and accelerating adoption ... Taiwan Union Technology Corporation

High Reliability Lead-Free Solder Paste with Rosin and Anti-Crack Resin As electronics are increasingly used in automotive and other high reliability applications, ensuring durability is critical. This paper explores a 'crack-free' flux paste designed to inhibit cracking in harsh environments while meeting stringent surface insulation resistance and ... Technical Paper

AI Drives AV Momentum at CES 2026 CES 2026 showcased over 4,100 exhibitors from 62 countries, highlighting AI, IoT & automotive innovations. U.S. participation rose, while China's dropped sharply. Key AV companies, including Waymo, Zoox, and Uber, drew major attention with robotaxi and AV platform displays. EE Times

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

NASA Let AI Drive the Perseverance Rover In December, NASA's Perseverance rover drove 456 meters across Mars using AI-generated waypoints without human control. By analyzing orbital images to dodge hazards, the system marked a major leap toward autonomous exploration and smarter, faster rover operations. IEEE Spectrum

Strain During Press Fit Connector Insertion in PCB Assembly Locations closer to the insertion site experienced the highest level of strain, which progressively decreased further from the insertion location. 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 Micro Dispensing Technology Leader DL Technology LLC develops customized dispensing needles and valves for the electronics assembly, industrial assembly, semiconductor packaging and medical industries. DL Technology

Autonomous technology | Inside the driverless age At CES 2026, autonomous vehicles eclipsed electric cars, signaling the driverless era's rise. In Austin and Las Vegas, AVs navigate real streets amid chaos, testing safety and readiness. Robotaxis, like Waymo's, offer promise but face unpredictable challenges daily. The Hindu

China's tech titans are giving away money and cars in 'The Lunar New Year AI War' China's AI giants are launching a high-stakes "Lunar New Year AI War," splurging billions on giveaways and new models to capture users. ByteDance, Baidu, Tencent, and Alibaba race to dominate, upgrading platforms as Beijing pushes large-scale AI commercialization. CNBC

Limits for HASL with Complex Products What are the limits for the future with more complex products? HASL and the actual HASL process, hot air solder leveling, has been with us since the mid-70s. Board Talk

Sponsor Viscom: Next Level of Inspection at APEX Viscom Inc. presents its AI-powered inspection software vAI ProVision at APEX Expo 2026 in Anaheim. See live demos of faster AOI and AXI programming at Booth #2836. Viscom SE

Researchers turn Edison's 1879 light bulb into a mini graphene reactor Researchers at Rice University recreated Thomas Edison's 1879 carbon-filament bulb and discovered its filament briefly produces turbostratic graphene. By pulsing 110-volt DC current, the team replicated modern flash Joule heating, turning carbon into graphene within seconds. TechSpot

Taiwan and US sign trade agreement Taiwan and the US signed a trade deal capping US tariffs on Taiwanese goods at 15%, granting preferential access for US industrial and agricultural exports. The pact eases tariffs, boosts semiconductor trade, and paves the way for US$250 billion in Taiwan investments in the US. Taipei Times

A New Line Balancing Method In this paper the authors present a new method of handling an assignment problem for hybrid manual and robotic assembly mixing lines. Technical Paper

Sponsor You need clear soldering results? The SEHO PowerVision AOI system is for fast, automated optical inspection. Designed for THT processes & focusses on 2 points: Continuous quality assurance & cost-efficient production processes. SEHO Systems GmbH

Your Business Is Growing, But Is It Actually Going Anywhere? Here's How to Grow With Purpose, Not Just Profit. Entrepreneurs often chase growth as the ultimate goal, but true success comes from treating expansion as a step in a larger journey. Sustainable business progress unfolds through numerous smaller milestones, not a single endpoint. Entrepreneur

Your AI assistant isn't confused, it just wants to agree with you AI models often prioritize user approval over accuracy, a behavior called sycophancy. Challenging them with "Are you sure?" exposes this flaw, rooted in reinforcement learning from human feedback, which rewards agreeableness and risks spreading false confidence. TechSpot

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.

This Car Company Is Using Robots To Do A Human's Job In 0.5% Of The Time Stellantis is using Dexory V2 robots at its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant to sort warehouse inventory 187 times faster than humans, completing a 280-hour task in 90 minutes, while retaining staff and planning 5,000 new jobs across several U.S. states. BGR

Cohesive Zone Modeling of Failure Underfilled BGA-PCB Assemblies A model was developed to simulate the delamination behavior of multilayer PCBs assembled with BGA components reinforced with an underfill epoxy adhesive. Technical Paper

Display makers exit old LCD plants as chipmakers hunt cleanrooms Major panel makers AUO, Innolux, and LG Display are selling older LCD fabs due to low efficiency and price pressure. Semiconductor firms like TSMC, Micron, ASE, and SK Hynix are eyeing these high-spec facilities to expand AI-focused production rapidly. Digitimes

Vehicles That Are Almost Self-Driving Automakers offer advanced driver-assistance features that ease highway driving and boost safety. From the hands-free Super Cruise in the Chevy Tahoe to Subaru's affordable EyeSight system in the Impreza, these technologies help drivers stay alert and confident on the road. U.S. News World & Report

Sponsor Sayaka Table-Top PCB Router, SAM-CT23S with online camera Advanced image processing software offers easy programming and CAD base offline programming. Automatic alignment compensation. Seika

AI & IoT are transforming the Electronics Industry Startups are revolutionizing the electronics industry by integrating AI, IoT & sustainable technologies in appliances and manufacturing. They drive innovation in 3D printing, printed and organic electronics & advanced materials, enhancing efficiency, durability & eco-friendly practices. Silicon India