PCB material shortage spreads to standard FR-4 as structural shift deepens August 19, 2026 The PCB industry's material shortage is no longer confined to advanced laminates. According to a market update from Norwegian PCB supplier Confidee, the shortage has now spread to standard FR-4 and thicker copper-clad laminates – and conditions are not expected to ease through 2026 or into 2027.
Lam Research to invest more than $3 billion in global R&D lab network August 18, 2026 Lam Research plans to invest more than USD 3 billion over the next five years to expand its global research and development lab network. The investment is expected to increase experiment capacity by more than 50% and further compress product development cycles for semiconductor customers.
LG Electronics opens new smart factory in Brazil August 17, 2026 Representing an investment of USD 310 million, the factory is LG’s second home appliance production base in Brazil. The new facility spans 770,000 square meters and has an annual production capacity of approximately 600,000 refrigerators.
Heron plans $100M factory for next-gen power electronics in US August 14, 2026 Heron Power has selected Morgan Hill, California as the home of its first large-scale factory and expects to add more than 600 jobs in advanced manufacturing, engineering and operations roles in California.
Quantinuum, Oracle to advance hybrid quantum compute adoption August 13, 2026 With Quantinuum’s Helios on OCI, customers can expect to gain managed, secure access to cloud-hosted quantum computing without having to procure, install, or operate dedicated hardware or specialized facilities.
UK air defence firm Cambridge Aerospace raises $300 million August 13, 2026 The round will support Cambridge Aerospace’s continued exponential growth as the company expands manufacturing capabilities to deliver on existing and new contracts, while continuing to invest in the spiral development of existing products and bringing the next generation of capabilities to market.
US startup Ravee Optics secures $6 million in seed round August 13, 2026 The company’s initial focus is addressing the limitations of current satellite communication technology by building optical communication systems designed for scale. Its hardware is smaller, lighter, and easier to produce in large volumes.
Lohia partners with Massivit, to invest up to $10M in manufacturing unit August 12, 2026 The investment will support an ongoing expansion of the company’s manufacturing infrastructure in Kanpur in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, where a new 250,000-square-foot facility is being developed alongside its existing 80,000-square-foot plant.
UK startup Olix raises $312M, appoints Nick McKeown to its board August 12, 2026 Nick McKeown co-invented software-defined networking, OpenFlow and P4. He is Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering at Stanford University and winner of the 2025 Marconi Prize.
India’s CESC unit to buy solar portfolio from ReNew for $510M August 11, 2026 The transaction marks a shift in the composition of Purvah’s portfolio — from a platform built primarily on projects under development to one anchored by assets already generating contracted cash flows.
Ardian Semiconductor invests in French fabless firm VSORA August 10, 2026 Through its investment, Ardian Semiconductor will support VSORA in accelerating its go‑to‑market strategy to strengthen the company’s recognition across the value chain and reinforce VSORA’s access to senior semiconductor industry expertise.
Eiffel partners with Ergy to accelerate BESS investments in Poland August 10, 2026 Under the partnership, Eiffel Investment Group will provide long-term infrastructure investment expertise, while Ergy will originate, develop, arrange financing, construct and manage battery storage projects, drawing on its experience in the Polish renewable energy market.
TaoWeave expands into physical AI with investment in Manako Labs August 07, 2026 The transaction marks TaoWeave’s first operating investment in AI and expands TaoWeave’s strategy beyond digital asset treasury activities into enterprise AI deployment, commercialization and recurring operating revenue.
SpaceX, Tesla to initially spend $16.8 billion on Texas chip plant August 07, 2026 Terafab, a vertically integrated semiconductor fabrication plant in Grimes County, Texas, with over 100 million square feet of manufacturing space, will employ at least 3,000 people.
Fuji enables SMT placement of large, heavy components for AI servers August 06, 2026 The company can handle large, heavy components measuring 200 x 200 mm and weighing 2.0 kg with the standard configurations of both its NXTR and AIMEXR pick and place machines.
Syensqo signs multi-year supply agreement with Airbus August 05, 2026 Under the contract, Syensqo will continue to supply a broad range of advanced materials from its portfolio including prepregs, RTM resins, adhesives, and primers to support Airbus programs across commercial aircraft, space & defense, and helicopter platforms.
Base Power raises $1 billion, launches home battery August 05, 2026 The Austin, Texas-based startup has raised over USD 2.5 billion capital to date. The fresh funds will go toward bringing the new battery, Base Core, to more homes, expanding nationally and hiring talent.
Northrop Grumman secures $3 billion in missile defence deals August 04, 2026 US Department of War signs framework agreements with Northrop Grumman to ramp production of PAC-3, THAAD components.
Linde wins semiconductor supply deal, to invest $1 billion in US August 04, 2026 Under the agreement, Linde will build, own and operate two new SPECTRA air separation units (ASUs) and associated infrastructure in Phoenix, Arizona.
Understanding semiconductor datecodes in long-lifecycle electronics August 04, 2026 The electronics industry has spent years learning to fear shortages, counterfeit components and end-of-life notices. But according to Ronny Nietzsche, Regional Sales Manager Nordic-Baltic Region at Rochester Electronics, another issue may be quietly shaping purchasing decisions — an outdated understanding of semiconductor date codes.
Alfen, CATL to deploy 5 GWh sodium-ion BESS in Europe August 04, 2026 This initiative enables Alfen to diversify its battery material portfolio, optimise the cost structure of its energy storage products and strengthen resilience against lithium price volatility.
Dawn raises $25M to advance reusable space transportation August 03, 2026 This Series B funding will directly finance New Zealand-Dutch company Dawn Aerospace’s global rollout, scaling commercial and operational teams in the US and Europe to support its expanding international customer base.
ESCATEC expands advanced SMT capabilities in UK August 03, 2026 The investment will enhance production efficiency and flexibility while strengthening ESCATEC’s ability to support medical manufacturing programmes in the UK.
Intel partners with Lens to boost advanced semiconductor packaging August 03, 2026 Intel and Lens will leverage their respective strengths in advanced semiconductor packaging, precision manufacturing, glass substrate R&D, and process innovation to support the growing demands of AI, data center, and specialized computing applications.
Waldom appoints Jim Kaplan to Advisory Board July 31, 2026 Kaplan, former President and CEO of Cornell Dubilier Electronics, brings nearly four decades of leadership experience in the electronic components industry.
TOP500 Supercomputer List: China Returns to the Top, Europe Holds Strong Position July 31, 2026 The latest edition of the TOP500 ranking of the world's most powerful supercomputers has brought a change at the top. China's LineShine has overtaken the United States' El Capitan, while the number of exascale systems has increased to five. Europe has maintained its position among the world's leading high-performance computing regions.
AccelerComm powers Eclipse’s 5G physical layer for next-gen spacecraft July 31, 2026 Across the two successive engagements, UK-based AccelerComm supported Eclipse in defining the physical-layer architecture for its next-generation spacecraft, spanning both its direct-to-device and broadband payload families.
Confidee's answer to shortages: full transparency and the freedom to cancel orders July 30, 2026 As material shortages push lead times for advanced printed circuit boards towards 2028, four-year-old PCB supplier Confidee has built its strategy around the opposite of locking customers into rigid commitments: complete transparency and a clear policy allowing customers to cancel or rebalance production without damaging the relationship. That is according to board member Didrik Bech.
Altus expands headquarters to showcase manufacturing capability July 30, 2026 The investment will enable Altus to install a complete inline manufacturing solution at the heart of its facility, allowing customers to see first-hand how a full production environment can be configured across SMT assembly, THT assembly, backend production and component management.
AI infrastructure boom reshapes electronics supply chain, says in4ma July 29, 2026 The unprecedented wave of investment in artificial intelligence infrastructure is transforming the global electronics supply chain, with growing consequences for PCB manufacturers, material suppliers and OEMs worldwide. According to new research from in4ma and EMSNOW, demand generated by hyperscale data centre operators is driving up PCB prices, stretching lead times and redirecting manufacturing capacity towards AI applications.
India’s Sigma Advanced Systems acquires Bromford for $16M July 29, 2026 UK-based Bromford’s capabilities complement Sigma’s expertise in manufacturing larger components for the same OEM customers, giving the combined platform a deeper full-range product offering for global aerospace and power generation customers.
FR 4 base materials: shortages, price increasing and allocations July 29, 2026 Why PCB procurement strategies should be reviewed?