ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Jabil's board of directors has approved a $200 million restructuring plan that includes headcount reductions.

What role will artificial intelligence truly play in electronics design, and what will the impact be on hardware engineers?

Zuken took a step toward answering that question with its announcement at PCB West of a new AI-based tool for printed circuit place-and-route. Yet the first public mention of AIPR for CR-8000 – the actual rollout will come in the first quarter next year – poses not only a dramatic vision for a highly automated future of design but a host of new questions as well.

The new tool itself is an extension of Design Force, Zuken's layout, routing and verification tool within the CR-8000 platform. Its AI, explained Kyle Miller, Ph.D., who architected the engine, involves all three basic types of machine learning: supervised, unsupervised and reinforcement. AIPR stands for Autonomous Intelligent Place and Route, and like previously announced AI-based CAD tools, it starts with routing. The "Basic Brain" performs so-called smart routing by means of exposure to Zuken's database of PCB designs built in CR-8000. Over time, it mimics human routing, with channels organized in logical ways. Smart placement is next, at an undisclosed time.

According to Bob Potock, vice president of sales and marketing, Zuken will add IPC-2581 capability as part of the next-generation Dynamic Brain, allowing designs from other ECAD systems to be incorporated and learned.

FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES, FRANCE – Icape Group has announced the acquisition of three US companies: PCB Solutions, Ustek Incorporated and Nujay Technologies.

SAINT HERBLAIN, FRANCE – Lacroix recorded revenue of €387.8 million ($409.9 million) in the first half of the year, up 14.6% from last year's first half.

WASHINGTON – The Department of Defense's Office of Industrial Base Policy has awarded a combined $17.5 million in contracts to support two initiatives that will strengthen the resilience of the defense microelectronics industrial base – including a project to promote production of ultra-high density interconnects for PCBs.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American PCB shipments in August were down 26.4% compared to the same month last year, and were down 35.7% compared to July, IPC reported in its North American Printed Circuit Board Statistical Program report.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – Total North American EMS shipments in August were up 2.49% compared to the same month last year, IPC announced in its monthly North American EMS Statistical Program report.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Jabil reported $8.5 billion in revenue for the fourth quarter of its fiscal year, a decrease of 5.5% from last year's fourth quarter.

NEEDHAM, MA – The global PC monitor market remained steadfast in its efforts to manage inventory levels amidst a significant drop in demand during the second quarter. According to the latest findings from the International Data Corporation Worldwide Quarterly PC Monitor Tracker, the second quarter of 2023 saw a year-on-year decline in shipments of 17.1%.

CHENGALPATTU, INDIA – A factory fire at iPhone supplier Pegatron India was reportedly sparked by a short-circuit after an electrical switch was left on, following testing of the devices as they were being put together.

FONTENAY-AUX-ROSES, FRANCE – Icape Group reported revenue of €94.5 million ($99.4 million) for the first half of the year, a 12.1% decrease from the first half of 2022.

ST. PETERSBURG, FL – Jabil and BYD Electronic have signed a definitive agreement that will see Jabil's mobility unit sold to BYDE for $2.2 billion.