May 8, 2026

Jim Cramer says the AI boom has ‘the power to keep the country’s economy humming’ Jim Cramer says the AI boom will keep driving stock markets higher despite Thursday’s market dip, calling the pullback healthy after major indexes fell, and highlighting strong AI-driven growth across industries led by companies like Nvidia. CNBC

Sponsor Corrosion, UV Protection for Power Transmission Moisture, corrosive gas, oxidation & UV blocking prop-erties. FLUOROSEAL® confor-mal coating for electrical contacts & ceramic insulator protection. AI Technology, Inc.

Turn Your Business Idea Into Reality Faster With AI — Without Costly Mistakes AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot and Claude help entrepreneurs turn ideas into businesses by speeding up research, planning and decision-making. However, founders must use them carefully, validating ideas with real-world data instead of relying solely on AI-generated insights. Entrepreneur

Understanding Solder Dross: Causes and Control Strategies This article outlines the main contributors to dross formation, examines how alloy refining methods play a role, and explores practical ways to reduce dross through process control and equipment optimization. Technical Paper

Samsung is pulling TVs and appliances from China after losing $138 million to local competition Samsung will stop selling televisions and home appliances in China due to fierce local competition and weak profitability. The company will support existing customers and partners while continuing to sell smartphones and tablets, as TV divisions recently posted losses. TechSpot

Sponsor Your Award-Winning Cored Wire Our industry-leading, award-winning range of flux-cored wire solder solutions meet the diverse needs of both manual soldering, and rework and robotic soldering applications. Indium Corporation

Horumz crisis shows gaps in Taiwan’s high-tech ‘silicon shield’ Taiwan’s halted LNG shipments from Qatar have exposed the island’s severe energy vulnerability to a potential Chinese blockade, threatening global semiconductor supplies as AI-driven chip demand strains an already fragile power grid heavily reliant on imported fuel and costly emergency measures. Taipei Times

Performance Comparison: Liquid and Pad Thermal Interface Material This study tested the hypothesis that a liquid TIM with the same effective thermal conductivity as a gap pad will have lower thermal resistance in application due to its ability to wet out the interface better than a solid pad. Also hypothesize here, bondline thickness has a significant effect over total thermal resistance. Technical Paper

Technical Papers ■ Evaluation of Techniques for Intentional Contamination of PWB Substrates for Quantitative Cleanliness Analyses ■ 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 MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

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

MediaTek launches AI data center MediaTek launched a new AI data center in Taiwan with planned 45-megawatt capacity to boost chip development. The facility, powered by Nvidia Blackwell chips, doubles AI token processing capacity while supporting MediaTek’s growing ambitions in the AI ASIC market. Taipei Times

Paul Tudor Jones says U.S. is late to regulating AI: ‘We should have already done it’ Paul Tudor Jones warned that the U.S. has fallen behind on AI regulation, urging immediate action on safeguards like watermarking deepfakes. Despite rising industry concerns, he increased AI stock investments and called for U.S.-China cooperation on AI safety standards. CNBC

Gooey Flux Residue Left Behind After selective soldering connectors there is a small amount of no-clean flux residue left behind. How can I judge how much flux residue can be left behind? Board Talk

Sponsor iX7059 Series by Viscom: Inline X-ray Inspection Power High-performance Inline X-ray Inspection Systems for complex electronics, semiconductors, and power modules up to 200 kg. Seamless integration, AI-powered accuracy, and maximum reliability for every application. Viscom SE

Automotive and AI Lift Infineon Q2, Point to FY2026 Revenue Above $18B Infineon reported stronger quarterly earnings and raised its 2026 revenue forecast above €16 billion, driven by surging AI data center demand and software-defined vehicles. The chipmaker also reorganized its business divisions while maintaining a cautious but committed stance on electric mobility. EE Times

Gen Z is turning subscriptions into short-term rentals for shows, movies, and games Gen Z users are reshaping streaming and gaming by subscribing temporarily, avoiding full-price purchases, and favoring free-to-play models. A Dentsu and IGN report says platforms now rely on long-term engagement, virtual goods, and strong franchises to retain audiences. TechSpot

Solder Joint Reliability on Mixed Ball Grid Array Solder Joints Due to the decreasing size of consumer electronics, ultrathin flip chip ball grid array packages are needed to with lower z-heights for slimmer form factors. Technical Paper

Sponsor Precision Cleaning. Maximum Reliability. Gain ZESTRON insights to improve cleaning, reduce residues, and ensure long-term electronics reliability. Learn more. ZESTRON Europe

Foxconn partners Poland EV venture on factory, R&D hub ElectroMobility Poland has partnered with Taiwan’s Foxconn and Foxtron to develop an EV factory and R&D hub in southern Poland, reviving the country’s domestic electric vehicle ambitions with planned investments in manufacturing, battery assembly, software development, and data analytics. Tech in Asia

Industrial AI: How Factories Learn to Live With Uncertainty Industrial AI faces a critical challenge: operating reliably amid noisy data and unpredictable conditions. Manufacturers are adopting uncertainty-aware AI models that use probabilistic reasoning, simulations, and physics-based computing to optimize industrial processes, reduce downtime, improve efficiency, and unlock smarter factory automation. EE Times

Sponsor Plasma Etch PE-Avenger The PE-Avenger is an ultra low-cost entry level plasma cleaning system allowing more labs to utilize plasma. It's a low frequency plasma cleaner designed for surface activation and organics removal. Plasma Etch

The 4 Ways I’ve Seen Leaders Turn AI Uncertainty Into Competitive Advantage Leaders navigating AI uncertainty succeed by prioritizing rapid learning over perfect planning, focusing on real customer problems, aligning teams through clear governance, and fostering experimentation. Companies that turn uncertainty into structured action gain momentum, improve decision-making, and create lasting competitive advantage. Entrepreneur

Optimization of PCB SI Coupon Design that Minimizes Discontinuity In this study, we tried to minimize the discontinuous path of Delta-L coupon by using the VIPPO (Via In Pad Plated Over) technique to improve the signal integrity. Technical Paper

Why Your Brain Shuts Down at the Worst Possible Moment — and the 20-Second Protocol That Overrides It The article explains how entrepreneurs often mistake the brain’s freeze response for fear or hesitation. It argues that high-stakes stress biologically shuts down logical thinking, preventing decisive action and requiring somatic techniques — not mindset shifts — to regain control. Entrepreneur

Why Consumer Electronics Will Continue to Lead the Edge AI Chip Market IDTechEx expects edge AI chips to create an US$80 billion market by 2036 as companies shift AI processing from the cloud to devices. Consumer electronics, especially AI smartphones and PCs, will drive growth by enabling faster, energy-efficient, and privacy-focused on-device AI features. IDTechEx

Sponsor See How Expert Circuit Board Repair Solved a Critical Failure Discover how a complex electronic failure was diagnosed and repaired with precision in this real-world case study. Circuit Technology Center

U.S. Electronics Manufacturing Demand Outpaces Talent Supply U.S. demand for electronics engineers is rising as semiconductors, EVs, data centers, automation and renewable energy expand. The BLS projects 7% job growth through 2034 and about 17,500 openings, fueled largely by retirements and workforce turnover. Global Electronics Association