SAN DIEGO -- Qualcomm has become the latest company to join the IPC-2581 Consortium, publicly avowing support for the open electronics data transfer exchange standard.

In a statement, Qualcomm said IPC-2581's "nonproprietary nature ... will allow multiple companies to drive the content which will result in a better data exchange format for all."

"Once adopted," the company added, IPC-2581 will "improve the data transfer for verification, fabrication, test and assembly of printed circuit boards. Qualcomm will highly encourage its PCB suppliers to get ready to adopt this standard."

The IPC-2581 Consortium is a group of PCB design and supply chain companies whose collective goal is to enable, facilitate and drive the use of IPC-2581 in the industry. It is devoted to accelerating the adoption of IPC-2581 as an open, neutrally maintained global standard to encourage innovation, improve efficiency and reduce costs.

The IPC-2581 Consortium counts Fujitsu, Harris, Lockheed-Martin, Sanmina-SCI, Screaming Circuits and nVidia among the OEMs and PCB fabricators/electronics assemblers that are members.

The Consortium is open to any PCB design and supply chain company that is prepared to support or is committed to a roadmap for IPC-2581 adoption.

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