January 9, 2026

Global Semiconductor Sales Increase 29.8% Year-to-Year in November The Semiconductor Industry Association reported record global chip sales of $75.3 billion in November 2025, up 29.8% year-over-year. Growth surged across most regions and product categories, with the market projected to approach $1 trillion in 2026. Semiconductor Industry Association

Sponsor Micro Dispensing Technology White Paper The trend toward micro-dispensing technology increases as electronic assembly's shrink & component packages decrease in size. DL Technology

VIEWPOINT 2026: Andy Behr, Technology Manager, Panasonic Electronic Materials The IC packaging industry is undergoing a transformative shift as traditional transistor scaling approaches its theoretical limits. Advanced packaging technologies—such as 2.5D and 3D integration, hybrid bonding, and copackaged optics are becoming critical enablers of performance for AI, and 5G applications. ... Panasonic Electronic Materials

Impact of Cleaning Technology on Discrete Packaging - The Difference in Wire Bonding Yield Lead frame packages are commonly used in semiconductor package fabrication, where interconnections between the integrated circuits (IC) and the metal leads are typically established through die attach and wire bonding processes. Technical Paper

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

3D-IC Success Stories: Faster Bandwidth, Lower Power, On-Time Tapeouts Chip design pivots from monolithic SoCs to 3D-ICs, chiplets, and heterogeneous integration to power AI and cloud growth. Cadence's integrated platforms deliver first-time-right silicon, scalable chiplet assembly, power integrity, and fab readiness. Semiconductor Engineering

VLSI Design Conference 2026: Experts Advocate Product-Led Chip Push for India India is reshaping its semiconductor strategy, pivoting from chip fabs and talent to product ownership, domestic IP, and patient capital. At VLSI Design Conference 2026, leaders urged building products to create market pull and durable innovation. EE Times

Sponsor Fusion and Hybrid Bonding Experts EVG's industry-leading process solutions, expertise and HI Competence Center accelerate the development and implementation of heterogeneous integration technology. EV Group

Technical Papers EOTPR Fine pitch probing for die-to-die interconnect failure analysis in chiplet devices Die-on-Tab for Compound Semiconductors: Enabling Advanced RF Power Systems Package Assembly Design Kits: The Future of Advanced Package Design Novel Molded FCBGA Package Platform For Highly Reliable Automotive Applications Eliminating Interfacial Delamination in High-Power Automotive Devices RAIG Minimizes Corrosion, Allows Higher Gold on ENEPIG A Universal AI-Powered Segmentation Model for PCBA & Semiconductor MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor III-V and Quantum components purified environments With MCL's customized hermetic package seals. Leak rates decade+ lower than aerospace requirements, for harsh environments and "forever electronics". MicroCircuit Laboratories, LLC

Apple and NVIDIA to Turn into Rivals Over TSMC Advanced Packaging with the M5 Ultra or M6 Ultra Chip Apple and NVIDIA, once operating in separate TSMC fabs, are now set to clash over advanced 3D packaging as Apple adopts SoIC and WMCM for M5/M6 chips. This may push Apple toward Intel and Samsung, creating new foundry opportunities. wccftech

Suspect in TSMC trade secret theft detained incommunicado Taiwan's IP and Commercial Court detained TSMC employee Chen Wei-chieh over alleged theft of 14nm trade secrets. Prosecutors say it threatens national security and competitiveness and ties to a probe involving 2nm tech and Tokyo Electron Taiwan. Taipei Times

Sponsor 100+ Breakthrough Repair/Rework Guides Illustrated and Online Free online guidebook, packed with detailed illustrations, will be helpful to anyone who needs to repair or rework circuit board assemblies to IPC standards. Circuit Technology Center

Power Integrity for NVIDIA H200–Based AI Servers: The Role of Capacitors in System Reliability As AI models grow, NVIDIA's H200 exemplifies a new generation of GPUs drawing 700 watts per card, shifting the focus from raw compute to stable power delivery. Capacitors and other passive components now play a crucial, system-critical role. EE Times

AI Coding Assistants Are Getting Worse AI coding assistants, once steadily improving, have plateaued in 2025 and now often produce subtly flawed code that runs but gives incorrect results. Experts warn that reliance on user-approved training data encourages unsafe, plausible-looking outputs, worsening reliability. IEEE Spectrum

Sponsor Proven Die-Attach Pastes and Films Low moisture absorption proven to meet AEC Grade-0 and MSL Level-1 reliability. Wafer level applicable DAF. Up to 250° wire-bonding and rapid curable for ultimate productivity. AI Technology, Inc.

Tech war: China semiconductor expert suggests vigilance in buying Nvidia's H200 AI chips Chinese semiconductor expert Wei Shaojun warned domestic firms to exercise caution when ordering Nvidia's H200 AI chips, citing US export uncertainty. Despite surging demand, China must balance short-term imports with long-term self-sufficiency in advanced chip development. South China Morning Post

Is End-To-End Security Possible? Chipmakers face growing pressure to secure complex multi-die chiplet systems as components from multiple vendors and processes create new vulnerabilities. End-to-end security now requires identity tracking, supply-chain oversight, and lifecycle management to prevent breaches. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor 170 semiconductor experts speak up What keeps telecom experts up at night? As networks push for more speed and reliability, semiconductors must evolve. See how they’re tackling AI, integration, and materials in our latest Research Report. Henkel AG & Co.

Automotive Outlook: 2026 Automakers enter 2026 balancing tariffs, EV affordability and financing shifts while accelerating AI manufacturing, software-defined vehicles, and cybersecurity. OEMs consolidate ECUs into SoCs to cut costs, boost safety, and unlock software revenue. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor "Build Up" I/C Packages -- USA Fabrication High layer counts. Low CTE material sets. 20µm Dielectrics /12µm Traces - ITAR Approved - 50um "Stay Flat" Cores. Learn more. Advanced Component Labs, Inc.