Printed Circuit Design & Fab Online Magazine

ROI

Peter Bigelow Supply shortages, inflation and geopolitical tensions echo an era thought long past.

Over the past year or so, the world appears to be an episode of Back to the Future, with events eerily reminiscent of when I commenced my career in the 1970s. Some call the “good old days,” yet regardless of whether they were – and there’s some debate to that – they certainly appear to be back!

Read more: Back to the 1970s? Lessons for Growth in Today’s Volatile Supply Environment

Peter Bigelow Cost pressure once again may become the industry’s biggest driver of change.

Necessity is the mother of invention, they say. Well, I am not sure necessity is the mother of all invention, but it can definitely be tied to a whole bunch, and probably has more than a few still to birth.

Read more: The Next Materials Reckoning in Electronics Manufacturing

Peter Bigelow As demand for AI and advanced electronics grows, the industry faces mounting pressure to reduce its reliance on scarce rare earth materials.

Much has been written and said in all areas of the world and in all walks of life about the challenges facing the world of technology. Whether it is developing and harnessing AI (artificial intelligence), utilizing electric vehicles, reducing pollution to leave a smaller carbon footprint, or training the next generation of employees to fill the multitude of jobs required to manufacture the advanced technologies that all the above will require, the number and magnitude of all these challenges is staggering. It is nothing, however, compared to the granddaddy of them all: creating the next generations of technology without depleting rare earth minerals.

Read more: The Next Great Technology Challenge: Designing without Rare Earths