NEEDHAM, MA – Global PC shipments totaled 262.7 million PCs in 2024, up 1% from the previous year, according to preliminary results from IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – The exhibition floor for PCB West 2025 is now open to any prospective exhibitor, the Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) announced today. The show floor is expected to sell out, as it has in 10 of the past 11 years, PCEA added.

WASHINGTON – Global semiconductor sales hit $57.8 billion in November, an increase of 20.7% compared to the November 2023 total of $47.9 billion and 1.6% more than October's total of $56.9 billion, the Semiconductor Industry Association reported.

MILPITAS, CA – The semiconductor industry is expected to start 18 new fab construction projects in 2025, according to SEMI’s latest quarterly World Fab Forecast report. The new projects include three 200mm and fifteen 300mm facilities, the majority of which are expected to begin operations from 2026 to 2027.

ATLANTA – Electronics supply chain participants' concerns about December sales were not as pronounced as originally projected, with a component sales sentiment of 98.4 for the month, according to ECIA's Electronic Component Sales Sentiment survey.

PEACHTREE CITY, GA – Printed Circuit Engineering Association (PCEA) this week will open registration for the technical program for PCB East 2025, featuring more than 75 hours of in-depth electronics engineering training.

TAIPEI – Foxconn announced revenue of NT2.13 trillion ($64.7 billion) for the fourth quarter, up 15.2% year-over-year and a new record for the quarter.

The many billions of dollars in direct funding or incentives the US Chips Act has bestowed on domestic manufacturers continue to obscure the basic adage that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.

That truism was tested, again, in late November as Denkai America, the US-based subsidiary of the Japanese materials company, announced its intentions to close and liquidate its copper foil manufacturing plant in Augusta, South Carolina, the last such factory in the United States.

The news comes just two years after its parent company, Nippon Denkai, heralded the site as the future of foil production, with tens of millions of dollars in investments planned and hundreds of new jobs expected. The company cited financial problems stemming from semiconductor shortages, a decrease in exports of batteries manufactured domestically, lower demand for smartphones, and other factors for the decision.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – The electronics industry faced a dip in sentiment this December, as the Demand Index declined 1.8% according to IPC’s December Sentiment of the Global Electronics Manufacturing Supply Chain Report. It remained below 100 for the fourth consecutive month, signaling continued contraction.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – North American EMS shipments in November were up 10.6% from last November's totals, IPC's North American EMS Statistical Program reported. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.18.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – Total North American PCB shipments in November were up 4.7% compared to the same month last year, IPC announced in findings from its North American PCB Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.15.

SINGAPORE – SP Manufacturing has expanded its global presence with two major moves: opening a new manufacturing facility in Senai, Malaysia, and successfully acquiring Ideal Jacobs, a Hong Kong EMS provider.