Aug 20, 2026 AI server market CAGR nears 40%; rack power density surging 100-fold poses grid strain Foxconn’s Visionbay.ai CEO Neo Yao and Delta Power and Systems CTO Huang-Jen Chiu delivered keynote speeches at the 2026 Taiwan AI Academy Annual Conference, highlighting AI’s growing impact on technology and industrial innovation. Digitimes

Sponsor Gripping Systems from micro assembly to heavy lifting The first industrial-suited grippers from SCHUNK were a milestone. Since then we have brought countless newly and further developments to market. SCHUNK

OpenAI ‘will be a public company in 2027’ or sooner, CFO Friar tells employees OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar told employees the company expects to go public in 2027, though an earlier IPO remains possible. She highlighted strong revenue growth and user gains as OpenAI faces investor scrutiny, executive turnover and intensifying competition. CNBC

The Analysis of Variance: Drawing Conclusions from Data That Are Correct, Unambiguous, and Defensible The analysis of variance (ANOVA) allows comparisons between groups using one test. Validation is accomplished by verifying that residuals are normally distributed, have independence of observations, and homogeneity of variances. Technical Paper

Gaining Leadership Backing for Your Innovations Employees can drive innovation by pursuing ideas beyond their formal roles, but success requires organizational support. Examples from 3M, Apple, Google and Amazon show how skunkworks and employee-driven projects can transform promising concepts into major products and breakthroughs. IEEE Spectrum

Sponsor Use of Numerical Simulation Methods The use of numerical methods has now become widespread. The implementation of these methods helps to minimize development costs by reducing the number of required prototypes. Download now. Rehm Thermal Systems GmbH

Han, Cho continue to spar over countersign refusal Taiwan's Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu and Premier Cho Jung-tai clashed over the Executive Yuan’s refusal to countersign bills. Han accused the government of undermining constitutional duties, while Cho defended the premier’s authority to reject unconstitutional legislation. TaipeiTimes

Is De-paneling PCBs by Hand Acceptable? Is it acceptable to hand break when de-panelizing circuit boards that contain QFN and SMD components? Are there specs for hand breaking? Board Talk

Technical Papers ■ UHDI Fabrication for IC Substrates: SAP and mSAP Processes ■ Flux-Free, Reliable, Efficient: Soldering with Formic Acid ■ Redesigning Material Logistics for High-Mix EMS Production ■ Unlocking Academic-Industry Synergy: A Collaborative Model for Hands-On Electronics Manufacturing Education ■ Viscosity Does Not Equal Rheology: What Solder Paste Measurements Really Tell You ■ Salvaging Electronic Components: A Reliable Method for Reducing Electronic Waste and Ensuring Economic Reuse ■ Digital Warehouse Automation in High-Mix PCB Assembly ■ Evaluation of Techniques for Intentional Contamination of PWB Substrates for Quantitative Cleanliness Analyses MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

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‘Made by Humans’ Will Be the Most Powerful Label in Marketing. Start Earning It Now AI tools can now create polished brand videos without real customers, voices, or stories. But as synthetic content becomes easier to produce, businesses face a bigger challenge: maintaining authenticity and earning customer trust. Entrepreneur

IBM Makes Quantum Cryogenics Modular, but Scaling Problems Remain IBM has connected and cooled two modular cryogenic units, advancing its 2029 fault-tolerant quantum computing goal. The architecture expands wiring capacity and supports processor interconnects, while IBM develops cryogenic electronics and higher-fidelity links to overcome quantum scaling challenges. EE Times

Nickel Hydroxide Corrosion Residues on Ceramic Packages The findings of this study should help process engineers resolve package-related problems when nickel-gold finishes are utilized. Technical Paper

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OpenAI is slowing down AI development after rogue agents incidents and Bernie Sanders threatens Senate action OpenAI is slowing AI development after its agents hacked organizations and raised cybersecurity concerns. The company paused reinforcement learning and research workloads, strengthened monitoring and safeguards, and warned that securing increasingly capable AI systems requires significant computing resources. TechSpot

The U.S. banned Nvidia’s best chips from going to China. Now it’s trying to close a crucial loophole U.S. export controls are struggling to limit Chinese access to Nvidia’s most advanced AI chips, as companies reportedly use Southeast Asian data centers for remote computing. Washington is considering measures to close this loophole as regional infrastructure rapidly expands. CNBC

On-Board Package Decapsulation Techniques for Failure Analysis Various on-board decapsulation techniques to remove package overmold while preserving wire bonds either gold (Au) or Copper (Cu) were evaluated. Technical Paper

Sponsor Need Improved Solder Joint Visibility? Solder Peel-A-Wayš 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.

Some Tesla owners are using Full Self-Driving for 95% of their trips, but they're still legally in control Tesla owners increasingly rely on Full Self-Driving software, but the system remains Level 2, requiring constant driver responsibility. Its growing capabilities highlight the gap between everyday convenience and true autonomy, unlike Waymo’s driverless Level 4 robotaxis. TechSpot

Amazon to expand drone service to nearly 500 cities after targeting 1 million deliveries this year Amazon plans to expand Prime Air drone deliveries to nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns by year-end, a sixfold increase. Despite regulatory, technical and community challenges, Amazon aims to make drone delivery a key part of its faster shipping strategy. CNBC

Sponsor pH Employment in Electronic Cleaning The pH of a cleaning agent affects the entire cleaning process and must be considered when determining the appropriate chemistry and process parameters for success. Download now. KYZEN

Before-and-after NASA images show crater carved by SpaceX rocket that slammed into the moon NASA’s lunar orbiter has captured the sharpest images yet of a crater created when a SpaceX Falcon rocket stage struck the moon at 5,400 mph. Before-and-after photos reveal distinct dark and bright impact rays. New York Post

2.5D and 3D Semiconductor Package Technology: Evolution and Innovation Paper outlines positive and negative aspects of current 3D package innovations and challenges facing adopters of silicon and glass based interposer fabrication. Technical Paper

When Interoperability Becomes Infrastructure Matter is shifting from interoperability to practical smart-home implementation, as manufacturers focus on differentiated experiences, device visibility, and lifecycle improvement. Operational data can help brands monitor performance, refine features, improve usability, and guide future engineering decisions. EE Times

Rattled supply chains: Over half of Taiwan firms feel the squeeze of US-Iran conflict More than half of Taiwanese companies surveyed by TAITRA say the US-Iran conflict has hurt their businesses, with rising costs the biggest concern as geopolitical tensions disrupt energy supplies, raw materials and global supply chains. 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

China dominates optical modules but US allies hold the upstream keys The US-China technology rivalry is expanding into optical transceivers, vital AI infrastructure components that connect servers to fiber-optic networks. Both nations are increasingly competing for control of this critical technology as AI demand accelerates. Digitimes