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Amid mounting concerns about US critical mineral and rare-earth element supply chains, Supra Elemental Recovery Inc has launched as a spinout from the University of Texas at Austin, focused on selectively recovering high-purity critical minerals from waste streams. The firm is initially targeting elements such as gallium (Ga) and scandium (Sc)...

Mining exploration company Nimy Resources Ltd of Perth, Western Australia has shipped its first high-grade gallium ore consignment from its Block 3 gallium deposit at the Mons Project in Western Australia to the USA under the collaboration agreement with US-listed company M2i Global, which specializes in the development and execution of a complete global value supply chain for critical minerals...

An important figure of merit for all precision constant current sources is their active impedance.  Which is to say, just how “constant” is their output held against changes in applied voltage?  Frequent and expert Design Idea (DI) commentator Ashutosh Sapre (Ashu) was kind enough to measure this parameter for a design of mine and share his results. The circuit, applied as a 4 to 20mA current mirror, is shown in Figure 1 and discussed in “Combine two TL431 regulators to make versatile current mirror.”

Figure 1 A 4 to 20mA current mirror with poor active impedance.

Said Ashutosh: “I tried the fig.2 circuit for 4-20mA mirroring, with R1 and R2 of 100E, and using a Tl431 (2.5V). It worked quite well. One issue I found was that the output impedance (di/dv) was quite low; there was a change of 40uA over a supply swing of 20V (if I remember correctly), not linear with supply voltage change. It is possibly due to the 2.5V reference voltage modulation with cathode voltage swing.

It could be compensated for, but some error will remain due to the non-linearity.”

Wow the engineering world with your unique design: Design Ideas Submission Guide

His observation and analysis were both absolutely correct. Table 6.6 in the TL431 datasheet reveals a maximum reference-voltage error of up to 2 mV per volt of cathode-to-anode voltage swing, consistent with the mediocre 20V/40µA = 500k active impedance he observed.

Fortunately, a simple and effective remedy is available and waiting in the pages of the common cookbook of current mirror circuits: the cascode. Figure 2 shows how it can be added (as D1 + Q2) to Figure 1.

Figure 2 D1/Q2 cascode reduces reference modulation error, improving active impedance by orders of magnitude.

The effect of the added parts is to isolate Z1’s cathode/anode voltage from voltage variation at the I2 node, thus holding the cathode/reference differential near zero and constant to within millivolts.

The resultant orders of magnitude reduction of reference modulation should produce a proportional increase in active impedance.

Thanks, Ashu!  Another example of the magic of editor Aalyia Shaukat’s DI kitchen collaboration in action!

Stephen Woodward’s relationship with EDN’s DI column goes back quite a long way. Over 100 submissions have been accepted since his first contribution back in 1974.

Related Content

• Combine two TL431 regulators to make versatile current mirror
• Active current mirror
• A current mirror reduces Early effect
• Active two-way current mirror
• Another silly simple precision 0/20mA to 4/20mA converter

The post Classic constant current cascode appeared first on EDN.

At the Optical Fiber Communication Conference & Exposition (OFC 2026) at the Los Angeles Convention Center (15–19 March), the Optical Internetworking Forum (OIF) is presenting a live, multi-vendor interoperability demonstration...

Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA — which makes enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power field-effect transistors (FETs) and integrated circuits for power management applications — has started volume production of the EPC2366, the first of its seventh-generation (Gen 7) eGaN family of power transistors...

Infineon Technologies AG is expanding its sensor business with the acquisition of the non-optical analogue/mixed-signal sensor portfolio from ams OSRAM Group. The two companies have entered into an agreement for a purchase price of €570 million on a debt-free and cash-free basis. With the planned investment, Infineon will strengthen its position as a leader in sensors for automotive and industrial markets through a complementary portfolio and expand its product range in medical applications. The acquired business is expected to generate around €230 million in revenue in calendar year 2026 and will support Infineon’s profitable growth. The transaction will be accretive to earnings-per-share immediately upon closing, with future synergies enabling substantial additional value creation. As part of the transaction, around 230 employees with expertise in research and development (R&D) and business management will join Infineon. The agreement includes a multi-year supply agreement with ams OSRAM.

“The acquired business is a perfect strategic fit for Infineon and complements our strong offering in the analogue and sensor space. We will be able to provide our customers with even more comprehensive system solutions,” says Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon. “I am convinced that this is an outstanding technological, commercial and cultural match, generating growth opportunities in our current target markets as well as in emerging areas like humanoid robotics.”

The overall transaction is structured as a fabless asset deal covering sensor products, R&D capabilities, intellectual property and test & lab equipment. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals, and is expected to close in the second quarter of calendar year 2026. Infineon will fund the acquisition with additional debt, as part of its general corporate financing plans.

Sensors are the link between the physical and the digital world, as they detect and convert signals such as movement, sound, light waves, temperature and even heartbeat and strain into processible data. They are at the core of a wide array of applications like software-defined vehicles, health trackers, and physical AI applications such as humanoid robots. The market potential of the sensor and radio frequency markets is projected to exceed $20 billion by 2027.

The acquired Mixed Signal Products business will add leading medical imaging and sensor interfaces to the portfolio of Infineon, including X-ray solutions and sensors used for valve control, building control technology and metering. The Positioning & Temperature Sensors assets will strengthen Infineon’s high-precision position, capacitive and temperature sensing for automotive, industrial and medical applications, such as chassis position sensing and hands-on detection in vehicles, angle and position sensing for robotics and glucose monitoring.

The acquisition fully supports Infineon’s strategy to grow its sensor business. Infineon established its Sensor Units & Radio Frequency (SURF) unit within its Power & Sensor Systems (PSS) division in January 2025. This aligns with the strategy to offer customers comprehensive system solutions through a powerful, interlinked portfolio in “analogue & sensors”, “power” and “control & connectivity”.

The post Infineon strengthens its leading position in sensors acquiring non-optical analogue/mixed-signal sensor portfolio from ams OSRAM appeared first on ELE Times.

Порядок організації та функціонування внутрішнього контролю в Національному технічному університеті України «Київський політехнічний інститут імені Ігоря Сікорського» kpi ср, 02/04/2026 - 11:59

Edge AI reached an inflection point in 2025. What had long been demonstrated in controlled pilots—local inference, reduced latency, and improved system autonomy—began to transition into scalable, production-ready deployments across industrial and embedded markets. This shift has exposed a deeper architectural reality: many existing silicon platforms and development environments are poorly matched to the demands of modern, context-aware edge AI.

As AI workloads move from centralized cloud infrastructure to distributed edge devices, design priorities have fundamentally changed. Edge systems must execute increasingly complex models under strict constraints on power, thermal envelope, cost, and real-time determinism. Addressing these requirements demands both a new class of AI-native silicon and a development platform that is open, extensible, and aligned with modern machine learning workflows.

Why legacy architectures are no longer sufficient

Conventional microprocessors and application processors were not designed for sustained AI workloads at the edge. While they can support inference through software or add-on accelerators, their architectures typically lack three essential characteristics required for modern Edge AI:

1. Dedicated AI acceleration capable of efficiently executing convolutional, transformer-based, and multimodal workloads.
2. Deterministic real-time processing for latency-sensitive industrial and embedded applications.
3. Energy efficiency at scale, enabling always-on intelligence without excessive thermal or power budgets.

As edge AI applications expand beyond simple classification toward sensor fusion, contextual reasoning, and on-device generative inference, these limitations become more pronounced. The result is a growing gap between what software frameworks can express and what deployed hardware can efficiently execute.

Edge AI design as a full value chain

Successful edge AI deployment requires a system-level view spanning the entire design value chain:

Data collection and preprocessing

Industrial edge systems, for example, operate in noisy, variable environments. Training data must reflect real-world conditions such as lighting changes, mechanical vibration, sensor drift, and interference.

Hardware-accelerated execution

Today’s edge designs rely on heterogeneous compute architectures: AI-native NPUs handle dense matrix and tensor operations, while CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, and real-time cores manage control logic, signal processing, and exception handling.

Model training, adaptation, and optimization

Although training is often performed off-device, edge deployment constraints must be considered early. Transfer learning and hybrid model architectures are commonly used to balance accuracy, explainability, and compute efficiency. Hardware-aware compilation enables models to be transformed to match accelerator capabilities while maintaining deterministic performance characteristics.

The role of open development platform

Historically, edge AI development has been fragmented across proprietary toolchains, closed runtimes, and framework-specific optimizations. This fragmentation has slowed adoption and increased development risk, particularly as model architectures evolve rapidly.

An open development platform addresses fragmentation challenges with:

• Framework diversity: Edge developers increasingly rely on PyTorch, ONNX, JAX, TensorFlow, and emerging toolchains. Supporting this diversity requires compiler infrastructures that are framework-agnostic.
• Rapid model evolution: The rise of transformers and large language models (LLMs) has introduced new operator patterns that closed toolchains struggle to support efficiently.
• Long product lifecycles: Industrial and embedded devices often remain in service for a decade or more, requiring platforms that can adapt to new models without hardware redesign.

Additionally, open compiler and runtime infrastructures based on standards such as MLIR and RISC-V enable a separation between model expression and hardware execution. This decoupling allows silicon to evolve while preserving software investment.

Figure 1 Synaptics’ open edge AI development platform features Astra SoCs, the Torq compiler, and the industry’s first deployment of Google’s Coral NPU. Source: Synaptics

Context-aware AI and the move toward multimodal inference

A defining trend of edge AI in 2025 was the transition from single-sensor inference toward context-aware, multimodal systems. Rather than processing isolated data streams, edge devices increasingly combine vision, audio, motion, and environmental inputs to build a richer understanding of their surroundings.

This shift places new demands on edge platforms which must now support:

• Heterogeneous data types and operators
• Efficient execution of attention mechanisms and transformer-based models
• Low-latency fusion of multiple sensor streams

Figure 2 The Grinn OneBox AI-enabled industrial single-board computer (SBC), designed for embedded edge AI applications, leverages a Grinn AstraSOM compute module and the Synaptics SL1680 processor. Source: Grinn Global

Designing for scalability and future workloads

One of the key architectural challenges in edge AI is scalability—not only across product tiers, but across time. AI-native silicon must scale from low-power endpoints to higher-performance systems while maintaining software compatibility.

This is typically achieved through:

• Modular accelerator architectures that scale performance without changing programming models.
• Heterogeneous compute integration, allowing workloads to migrate between NPUs, CPUs, and GPUs as needed.
• Standardized toolchains that preserve model portability across devices.

For designers, this approach reduces risk by allowing a single software stack to span multiple products and generations.

Testing, validation, and long-term reliability

Edge AI systems operate continuously and often autonomously. Validation must extend beyond functional correctness to include:

• Worst-case latency and power analysis
• Thermal stability under sustained workloads
• Behavior under degraded or unexpected inputs

Monitoring and logging capabilities at the edge enable post-deployment diagnostics and iterative model improvement. As models become more complex, explainability and auditability will become increasingly important, particularly in regulated environments.

Looking ahead

In 2026, AI is expected to move further into mainstream embedded system design. The focus is shifting from proving feasibility to optimizing performance, reliability, and lifecycle cost. This transition highlights the importance of aligning silicon architecture, software openness, and system-level design practices.

A new class of AI-native silicon, coupled with an open and extensible development platform, provides a foundation for this next phase. For system designers, the challenge—and opportunity—is to treat edge AI not as an add-on feature, but as a core architectural element spanning the entire design value chain.

Neeta Shenoy is VP of marketing at Synaptics.

Special Section: AI Design

• The AI design world in 2026: What you need to know
• AI workloads demand smarter SoC interconnect design
• AI’s insatiable appetite for memory
• The AI-tuned DRAM solutions for edge AI workloads
• Designing edge AI for industrial applications
• Round pegs, square holes: Why GPGPUs are an architectural mismatch for modern LLMs
• Bridging the gap: Being an AI developer in a firmware world
• Why Power Delivery Is Becoming the Limiting Factor for AI

The post Silicon coupled with open development platforms drives context-aware edge AI appeared first on EDN.

Speaking at the Auto EV Tech Vision Summit 2025, Bhaktha Keshavachara, CEO, Chara Technologies, highlights the Rare Earth challenges as faced by the world today and what potential policies can resolve them!

As the world strides towareds more sustainable solutions, the technologies we use become more rare-earth dependent, ranging from batteries to motors and the magnets used in the motors. To couple this phenomenon, a simultaneous energy transition is also taking shape. We are gradually moving towards achieving our energy goals from electrons, as compared to hydrocarbons previously, especially in transportation. This necessitates the need to locate supply chains in a stable region or wholly become self-sustainable in the raw materials, which are Rare Earths, the 17 elements put separately in the periodic table, as Bhaktha Keshavachara, CEO, Chara Technologies, puts it!

With Rare Earths, the global catch-22 lies for two specific reasons, namely: 

1. It is expensive to buy 
2. It is hazardous to extract   

Since these materials are critical for our future, or the future dominated by Electric technologies like EVs, E-Buses, etc – It becomes imperative for us to search for ways to locate them in stable regions or make oneself self-sufficient in their production, or simply find ways. Let’s see what Bhaktha had to say about it! 

Start Mining or Find Alternatives

“We have to start mining and extraction,” Bhaktha reiterates as he presents his first solution for the Rare-Earth catch-22.  He goes on to recount the strategies adopted by the nations globally, including the US, which has interestingly reopened its mines in California for rare-earth minerals.  Further, he underlines the ongoing global efforts to find alternative materials to build rare-earth magnets without using rare earths. He underlines NIRON from the US, which is experimenting with iron nitride magnets. He also points to Europe’s efforts towards finding an alternative in potassium-strontium magnets. 

The problem with rare-earth mining is the hazardous nature of the process that leaves populations and people cancer-ridden for a long time. “If you see pictures on the net of the west coast of China, actually in central China, there are like cancer villages,” Bhaktha recounts. 

Alternative Motor Technologies or Materials

Further, he suggests using alternative motor technologies to reduce the materials component of rare earths in the overall product.  He refers to the various motor types in the same continuation, including electrically excited synchronous motors (EESM), induction motors (IM), and synchronous reluctance motors (SynRM). He also touches upon the light rare-earth materials, calling for more use of them as opposed to the heavy rare-earth materials that China holds a stronghold over, as he mentioned in his address 

India’s Situation 

Talking about India’s situation, Bhkatha says, “We have rare earths, but not all the 17 rare earths, but still we can do with whatever we have, and potentially we can import ore which has dysprosium and other rare earth materials.” He also recounts some past events wherein global price fluctuations anchored by China led to two big companies in India dropping projects of magnet manufacturing as the project suddenly became unviable in business terms. 

In the same sequence, he reiterates the example of the US government that has stepped in to cap the minimum prices for the magnets irrespective of the global market fluctuations, to basically support the industry and also enable localisation of the technology and materials. 

National efforts, Global Repercussions  

In the midst of all these challenges, Bhaktha reaffirms his determination to face the storm in the face, calling upon the industry to innovate for the better. He says, “I think if we do the innovation and take the leadership role in prioritizing this, we not only have a huge opportunity to do something new in India, but there is a huge opportunity to export to the rest of the world because the rare-earth problem is a global problem.”  

The post The Rare Earths Catch-22: Why It Exists and How It Can Be Fixed appeared first on ELE Times.

The increasing AI and high-performance computing workloads demand power solutions that combine efficiency, reliability and scalability. Integrated power modules help streamline design, reduce energy use and deliver the stable performance required for advanced data centres. Microchip Technology announces the launch of the MCPF1525 Power Module, a highly integrated device with a 16V Vin buck converter that can deliver 25A per module, stackable up to 200A. The MCPF1525 enables higher power delivery within the same rack space and is combined with a programmable PMBus and I2C controls. This device is designed to power the latest generation of PCIe switches and high-performance compute MPU applications needed for AI deployments.

The MCPF1525 is packaged in an innovative vertical construction that maximises board space efficiency and can offer up to a 40% board area reduction when compared to other solutions. The compact power module is approximately 6.8 mm x 7.65 mm x 3.82 mm, making it an optimal solution for space-constrained AI servers.

For increased reliability, the MCPF1525 includes multiple diagnostic functions reported over PMBus, including over-temperature, over-current and over-voltage protection to minimise undetected faults. With a thermally enhanced package, the device is engineered to work within an operating junction temperature range of -40°C to +125°C. An on-board embedded EEPROM allows users to program the default power-up configuration.

“By leveraging Microchip’s comprehensive solutions, including PCIe Switchtec technology, FPGAs, MPUs and Flashtec NVMe controllers, the MCPF1525 power module can help customers achieve the system efficiency, reliability and scalability required for high-performance data centre and industrial computing applications,” said Rudy Jaramillo, vice president of Microchip’s analogue power and interface division. “Seamless integration across Microchip’s portfolio simplifies development and lowers risk, helping designers accelerate time-to-market.”

The post New Power Module Enhances AI Data Centre Power Density and Efficiency appeared first on ELE Times.

EDN has announced the winners of the annual Electronic Products Product of the Year Awards in the January/February digital magazine. Now in its 50th year, EDN editors looked at over 100 products across 13 component categories to select the best new components. These categories include analog/mixed-signal ICs, development kits, digital ICs, electromechanical devices, interconnects, IoT platforms, modules, optoelectronics, passives, power, RF/microwave, sensors, and test and measurement.

These award-winning products demonstrate a significant advancement in a technology or its application, an exceptionally innovative design, a substantial achievement in price/performance, improvements in design performance, and/or the potential for new product designs and opportunities. This year, the awards have two ties, in the categories of power and sensors.

Also in the January/February issue, we look at some of the most advanced electronic components launched at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). This year’s show highlighted the rise of AI across applications from automotive to smart glasses. Chipmakers are placing big bets on edge AI as a key growth area along with robotics, IoT, and automotive.

A few new AI chip advances announced at CES include Ambarella Inc.’s CV7 edge AI vision system-on-chip, optimized for a wide range of AI perception applications, and Ambiq Micro’s industry-first ultra-low-power neural processing unit built on its Subthreshold Power Optimized Technology platform and designed for real-time, always-on AI at the edge.

Though chiplets hold big promises in delivering more compute capacity and I/O bandwidth, design complexity has been a challenge. Cadence Design Systems Inc. and its IP partners may have made this a bit easier with pre-validated chiplets, targeting physical AI, data center, and high-performance-computing applications. At CES, Cadence announced a partner ecosystem to deliver pre-validated chiplet solutions, based on the Cadence physical AI chiplet platform. The new chiplet spec-to-packaged parts ecosystem is designed to reduce engineering complexity and accelerate time to market for developing chiplets while reducing risk.

We also spotlight the top 10 edge AI chips with an updated ranking, curated by AspenCore’s resident AI expert, EE Times senior reporter Sally Ward-Foxton. As highlighted by several CES product launches, more and more AI chips are being designed for every application niche as edge devices become AI-enabled. These devices range from handling multimodal large language models in edge devices to those designed for vision processing and minimizing power consumption for always-on applications.

Giordana Francesca Brescia, contributing writer for Embedded.com, looks at microcontrollers with on-chip AI and how they are transforming embedded hardware into intelligent nodes capable of analyzing and generating information. In addition to hardware innovations, she also covers software development and key areas of application such as biomedical and industrial automation.

We also spotlight several emerging trends in 2026, from 800-VDC power architectures in AI factories and battery energy storage systems (BESSes) to advances in autonomous farming and power devices for satellites.

The wide adoption of AI models has led to a redesign of data center infrastructure, according to contributing writer Stefano Lovati. Traditional data centers are being replaced with AI factories to meet the computational capacity and power requirements needed by today’s machine-learning and generative AI workloads.

However, a single AI factory can integrate several thousand GPUs, reaching power consumption levels in the megawatt range, Lovati said. This has led to the design of an 800-VDC power architecture, which is designed to support the multi-megawatt power demand required by the compute racks of next-generation AI factories.

Lovati also discusses how wide-bandgap semiconductors such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride can deliver performance and efficiency benefits when implementing an 800-VDC architecture.

The adoption of BESSes is primarily being driven by the need to improve efficiency and stability in power distribution networks. BESSes can balance supply and demand by storing energy from both renewable sources and the conventional power grid, Lovati said. This helps stabilize power grids and optimize power uses.

Lovati covers emerging trends in BESSes, including advances in battery technologies, hybrid energy storage systems—integrating batteries with alternative energy storage technologies such as supercapacitors or flywheels—and AI-based solutions for optimization. Some of the alternatives to lithium-ion discussed include flow batteries and sodium-ion and aluminum-ion batteries.

We also look at the challenges of selecting the right power supply components for satellites. Not only do they need to be rugged and small, but they must also be configurable for customization.

The configurability of power supplies is an important factor for meeting a variety of space mission specifications, according to Amit Gole, marketing product manager for the high-reliability and RF business unit at Microchip Technology.

Voltage levels in the electrical power bus are generally standardized to certain values; however, the voltage of the solar array is not always standardized, Gole said, which calls for a redesign of all of the converters in the power subsystems, depending on the nature of the mission.

Because this redesign can result in cost and development time increases, it is important to provide DC/DC converters and low-dropout regulators across the power architecture that have standard specifications while providing the flexibility for customization depending on the system and load voltages, he said.

Gole said functions such as paralleling, synchronization, and series connection are of key importance for power supplies when considering the specifications of different space missions.

We also look at the latest advances in smart farming. With technological innovations required to improve the agricultural industry and to meet the growing global food demands, smart farming has emerged to support farming operations thanks to the latest advancements in robotics, sensor technology, and communication technology, according to Liam Critchley, contributing writer for EE Times.

One of the key trends in smart farming is the use of drones, which help optimize a variety of farming operations. These include monitoring the health of the crops and soil and communicating updates to the farmer and active operations such as planting seeds and field-spraying operations. Drones leverage technologies such as advanced sensors, communication, IoT technologies and, in some cases, AI.

Critchley said one of the biggest developing areas is the integration of AI and machine learning. While some drones have these features, many smart drones will soon use AI to identify various pests and diseases autonomously, eliminating the need for human intervention.

Cover image: Adobe Stock

The post EDN announces Product of the Year Awards appeared first on EDN.

Cree LED Inc of Durham, NC, USA (a Penguin Solutions brand) has launched OptiLamp LEDs, a new display technology that integrates driver and control intelligence directly into every LED pixel. Built on patented Cree LED technology, the OptiLamp portfolio is said to advance LED display design by delivering superior image quality with reduced power consumption and a streamlined system architecture...

Howdy, first time poster here. I’m a professional ASIC repairman; love my work and just like showing it off sometimes. Trace repairs are my favorite This is only a small part of a much larger repair (The full post got zero attention anyways lol) but feel free to ama. All the surrounding smds are 0201 sizing. submitted by /u/FooseyRhode [link] [comments]

The annual awards, now in its 50th year, recognizes outstanding products that represent any of the following qualities: a significant advancement in a technology or its application, an exceptionally innovative design, a substantial achievement in price/performance, improvements in design performance, and the potential for new product designs/opportunities. EDN editors evaluated 100+ products across 13 categories. There are two ties, in the power and sensors categories. Here are this year’s winners:

• Allegro MicroSystems Inc. and SensiBel (Sensors)
• Ambiq (Development Kits)
• Cree LED (Optoelectronics)
• Circuits Integrated Hellas (Modules)
• Empower Semiconductor and Ferric Corp. (Power)
• Littelfuse Inc. (Passives)
• Marvell Technology Inc. (Interconnects)
• Morse Micro Ltd. (IoT Platforms)
• Renesas Electronics Corp. (Digital ICs)
• Rohde & Schwarz (Test & Measurement)
• Semtech Corp. (RF/Microwave)
• Sensata Technologies (Electromechanical)
• Stathera Inc. (Analog/Mixed-Signal ICs)

Allegro MicroSystems Inc. Sensors: ACS37100 magnetic current sensor

Allegro MicroSystems’ ACS37100 is a fully integrated tunneling magnetoresistive (TMR) current sensor that delivers high accuracy and low noise for demanding control loop applications. Marking a critical inflection point for magnetic sensors, it is the industry’s first commercially available magnetic current sensor to achieve 10-MHz bandwidth and 50-ns response time, the company said.

The ACS37100 magnetic current sensor, based on Allegro’s proprietary XtremeSense TMR technology, is 10× faster and generates 4× lower noise than alternative Hall-based sensors. This performance solves challenges in high-voltage power conversion, especially related to gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) solutions. The ACS37100 helps power system designers leverage the full potential of fast-switching GaN and SiC FETs by providing precise current measurement and integrated overcurrent fault detection.

The current sensor delivers a low noise of 26-mA root mean square across the full 10-MHz bandwidth, enabling precise, high-speed current measurements for more accurate and responsive system performance.

While GaN and SiC promise greater power density and efficiency, the faster switching speeds of wide-bandgap semiconductors create significant control challenges. At sub-megahertz frequencies, conventional magnetic current sensors lack the speed and precision to provide the high-fidelity, real-time data required for stable control and protection loops, Allegro MicroSystems said.

Target applications include electric vehicles, clean-energy power conversion systems, and AI data center power supplies, in which the 10-MHz bandwidth and 50-ns response time provide the high-fidelity data needed. The operating temperature range is –40°C to 150°C.

Allegro MicroSystems’ ACS37100 TMR magnetic current sensor (Source: Allegro MicroSystems Inc.) Ambiq Development Kits: neuralSPOT AI development kit

Ambiq’s neuralSPOT software development kit (SDK) is designed specifically for embedded AI on the company’s ultra-low-power Apollo system-on-chips (SoCs). It helps AI developers handle the complex process of model integration with a streamlined and scalable workflow.

The SDK provides a comprehensive toolkit comprising Ambiq-optimized libraries, feature extractors, device drivers, and pre-trained AI models, making it easier for developers to quickly prototype, test, and deploy models using real-world sensor data while integrating optimized static libraries into production applications. This reduces both development effort and energy consumption.

The neuralSPOT SDK and Toolkit bridge the gap between AI model creation, deployment, and optimization, Ambiq said, enabling developers to move from concept to prototype in minutes, not days. This is thanks in part to its intuitive workflow, pre-validated model templates, and seamless hardware integration.

The latest neuralSPOT V1.2.0 Beta release includes ready-to-use example implementations of popular AI applications, such as human activity recognition for wearable and fitness analytics, ECG monitoring, keyword spotting, speech enhancement, and speaker identification.

Key challenges that the neuralSPOT SDK addresses include high power consumption, energy limits, limited development tools, and complex setup. This is particularly important when enabling AI on compact, battery-powered edge devices in which manufacturers must balance performance, power efficiency, and usability.

The SDK provides a unified, developer-friendly toolkit with Ambiq-optimized libraries, drivers, and ready-to-deploy AI models, which reduces setup and integration time from days to hours. It also simplifies model validation for consistent results and quicker debugging and provides real-time insights into energy performance, helping developers meet efficiency goals early in the design process.

Ambiq’s neuralSPOT for the Apollo5 SoCs (Source: Ambiq) Circuits Integrated Hellas Modules: Kythrion antenna-in-package

The Kythrion chipset from Circuits Integrated Hellas (CIH) is called a game-changer for satellite communications. It is the first chipset to integrate transmit, receive, and antenna functions into a proprietary 3D antenna-in-package and system-in-package architecture.

By vertically stacking III-V semiconductors (such as gallium arsenide and GaN) with silicon, Kythrion achieves more than 60% reductions in size, weight, power, and cost compared with traditional flat-panel antenna modules, according to the company. This integration eliminates unnecessary printed-circuit-board (PCB) layers by consolidating RF, logic, and antenna elements into a dense 3D chip for miniaturization and optimized thermal management within the package. This also simplifies system complexity by combining RF and logic control on-chip.

CIH said this leap in miniaturization allows satellites to carry more advanced payloads without increasing mass or launch costs, while its 20× bandwidth improvement delivers real-time, high-throughput connectivity. These features deliver benefits to aerospace, defense, and commercial networks, with applications in satellite broadband, 5G infrastructure, IoT networks, wireless power, and defense and aviation systems.

Compared with traditional commercial off-the-shelf phased-array antennas, which typically require hundreds of separate chips (e.g., 250 transmit and 250 receive chips) and require a larger footprint around 4U, Kythrion reduces the module count to just 50 integrated modules, fitting into a compact, 1U form factor. This results in a weight reduction from 3 kg to 4 kg, down to approximately 1.5 kg, while power consumption is lowered by 15%. Cost per unit is also significantly reduced, CIH said.

The company also considered sustainability when designing the Kythrion antenna-in-package. It uses existing semiconductor processes to eliminate capital-intensive retooling, which lowers carbon impact. In addition, by reducing satellite mass, each kilogram saved in satellite payload can reduce up to 300 kg of CO2 emissions per launch, according to CIH.

CIH’s Kythrion antenna-in-package (Source: Circuits Integrated Hellas) Cree LED, a Penguin Solutions brand Optoelectronics: XLAMP XP-L Photo Red S Line LEDs

Advancing horticulture lighting, Cree LED, a Penguin Solutions brand, launched the XLAMP XP-L Photo Red S Line LEDs, optimized for large-scale growing operations, including greenhouses and vertical farms, with higher efficiency and durability.

Claiming a new standard in efficiency and durability for horticultural LED lighting, the XLAMP XP-L Photo Red S Line LEDs provide a 6% improvement in typical wall-plug efficiency over the previous generation, reaching 83.5% at 700 mA and 25°C. Horticultural customers can reduce operating costs with the same output with less power consumption, or they can lower initial costs with a redesign that cuts the number of Photo Red LEDs required by up to 35%, Cree LED said.

Thanks to its advanced S Line technology, the XP-L Photo Red LEDs offer high sulfur and corrosion resistance that extend their lifespan and deliver reliable performance. These features reduce maintenance costs while enabling the devices to withstand harsh greenhouse environments, the company said.

Other key specifications include a maximum drive current of 1,500 mA, a low thermal resistance of 1.15°C/W, and a wide viewing angle of 125°. The LEDs are binned at 25°C. They are RoHS- and REACH-compliant.

These LEDs also provide seamless upgrades in existing designs with the same 3.45 × 3.45-mm XP package as the previous XP-G3 Photo Red S Line LEDs.

Cree LED’s XLamp XP-L Photo Red S Line LEDs (Source: Cree LED, a Penguin Solutions brand) Empower Semiconductor Power: Crescendo vertical power delivery

Empower Semiconductor describes Crescendo as the industry’s first true vertical power delivery platform designed for AI and high-performance-computing processors. The Crescendo chipset sets a new industry benchmark with 20× faster response and breakthrough sustainability and enables gigawatt-hours in energy savings per year for a typical AI data center.

The vertical architecture achieves multi-megahertz bandwidth, 5× higher power density, and over 20% lower delivery losses while minimizing voltage droop and accelerating transient response. The result is up to 15% lower xPU power consumption and a significant boost in performance per watt, claiming a new benchmark for efficiency and scalability in AI data center systems.

The Crescendo platform is powered by Empower’s patented FinFast architecture. Scalable beyond 3,000 A, Crescendo integrates the regulators, magnetics, and capacitors into a single, ultra-thin package that enables direct placement underneath the SoC. This relocates power conversion to where it’s needed most for optimum energy and performance, according to the company.

Empower said the Crescendo platform is priced to be on par with existing power delivery solutions while offering greater performance, energy savings, and lower total cost of ownership for data centers.

Empower’s Crescendo vertical power delivery (Source: Empower Semiconductor) Ferric Corp. Power: Fe1766 DC/DC step-down power converter

Ferric’s Fe1766 160-A DC/DC step-down power converter offers industry-leading power density and performance in an ultra-compact, 35-mm2 package with just 1-mm height. The Fe1766 is a game-changer for high-performance computing, AI accelerators, and data center processors with its extremely compact form factor, high power density, and 100× faster switching speeds for precise, high-bandwidth regulation, Ferric said.

Integrating inductors, capacitors, FETs, and a controller into a single module, the Fe1766 offers 4.5-A/mm2 power density, which makes it 25× smaller than traditional alternatives, according to the company. The integrated design translates into a board area reduction of up to 83%.

The FE1766 switches at 30 to 100 MHz, ensuring extremely fast power conversion with high-bandwidth regulation and 30% better efficiency than conventional solutions and 20% reduced cost compared with existing designs. Other features include real-time telemetry (input voltage, output voltage, current, and temperature) and comprehensive fault protection (UVLO, OVP, UVP, OCP, OTP, etc.), providing both reliability and performance.

However, the most significant feature is its scalability, with gang operation of up to 64 devices in parallel for a power delivery exceeding 10 kA directly to the processor core. This makes it suited for next-generation multi-core processors, GPUs, FPGAs, and ASICs in high-density and high-performance systems, keeping pace with growth in computing power and core counts, particularly in AI, machine learning, and data centers.

Ferric’s Fe1766 DC/DC step-down power converter (Source: Ferric Corp.) Littelfuse Inc. Passives: Nano2 415 SMD fuse

The Littelfuse Nano2 415 SMD fuse is the industry’s first 277-VAC surface-mount fuse rated for a 1,500-A interrupting current. Previously, this was achievable only with larger through-hole fuses, according to the company. It allows designers to upgrade protection and transition to automated reflow processes, reducing assembly costs while improving reliability and surge-withstand capability.

The Nano2 415 SMD fuse bridges the gap between legacy cartridge and compact SMD solutions while advancing both performance and manufacturability, Littelfuse said. Its compact, 15 × 5-mm footprint and time-lag characteristic protect high-voltage, high-fault-current circuits while enabling reflow-solder assembly. It is compliant with UL/CSA/NMX 248-1/-14 and EN 60127-1/-7.

The Nano2 415 SMD Series offers high I2t performance. It is halogen-free and RoHS-compliant. Applications include industrial power supplies, inverters, and converters; appliances and HVAC systems; EV chargers and lighting control; and smart building and automation systems.

Littelfuse’s Nano2 415 SMD Fuse (Source: Littelfuse Inc.) Marvell Technology Inc. Interconnects: 3-nm 1.6-Tbits/s PAM4 Interconnect Platform

The Marvell 3-nm 1.6-Tbits/s PAM4 Interconnect Platform claims the industry’s first 3-nm process node optical digital-signal processor (DSP) architecture, targeting bandwidth, power efficiency, and integration for AI and cloud infrastructure. The platform integrates eight 200G electrical lanes and eight 200G optical lanes in a compact, standardized module form factor.

The new platform sets a new standard in optical interconnect technology by integrating advanced laser drivers and signal processing in a single, compact device, Marvell said. This reduces power per bit and simplifies system design across the entire AI data center network stack.

The 3-nm PAM4 platform addresses the I/O bandwidth bottleneck by combining next-generation SerDes technology and laser driver integration to achieve higher bandwidth and power performance. It leverages 200-Gbits/s SerDes and integrated optical modulator drivers to reduce 1.6-Tbits/s optical module power by over 20%. The energy-efficiency improvement reduces operational costs and enables new AI server and networking architectures to meet the requirements for higher bandwidth and performance for AI workloads, within the significant power constraints of the data center, Marvell said.

The 1.6-Tbits/s PAM4 DSP enables low-power, high-speed optical interconnects that support scale-out architectures across racks, rows, and multi-site fabrics. Applications include high-bandwidth optical interconnects in AI and cloud data centers, GPU-to-GPU and server interconnects, rack-to-rack and campus-scale optical networking, and Ethernet and InfiniBand scale-out AI fabrics.

The DSP platform reduces module design complexity and power consumption for denser optical connectivity and faster deployment of AI clusters. With a modular architecture that supports 1.6 Tbits/s in both Ethernet and InfiniBand environments, this platform allows hyperscalers to future-proof their infrastructure for the transition to 200G-per-lane signaling, Marvell said.

Morse Micro Pty. Ltd. IoT Platforms: MM8108 Wi-Fi HaLow SoC

Morse Micro claims that the MM8108 Wi-Fi HaLow SoC is the smallest, fastest, lowest-power, and farthest-reaching Wi-Fi chip. The MM8108, built on the IEEE 802.11ah standard, establishes a new benchmark for performance, efficiency, and scalability in IoT connectivity. It delivers data rates up to 43.33 Mbits/s using the industry’s first sub-gigahertz, 256-QAM modulation, combining long-range operation with true broadband throughput.

The MM8108 Wi-Fi HaLow extends Wi-Fi’s reach into the sub-1-GHz spectrum, enabling multi-kilometer connectivity, deep penetration through obstacles, and support for 8,000+ devices per access point. Outperforming proprietary LPWAN and cellular alternatives while maintaining full IP compatibility and WPA3 enterprise security, the wireless platform reduces deployment cost and power consumption by up to 70%, accelerates certification, and expands Wi-Fi’s use beyond homes and offices to cities, farms, and factories, Morse Micro said.

The MM8108 SoC’s integrated 26-dBm power amplifier and low-noise amplifier achieve “outstanding” link budgets and global regulatory compliance without external SAW filters. It also simplifies system design and reduces power draw with a 5 × 5-mm BGA package, USB/SDIO/SPI interfaces, and host-offload capabilities. This allows devices to run for years on a coin-cell or solar battery, Morse Micro said.

The MM8108-RD09 USB dongle complements the SoC, enabling fast HaLow integration with existing Wi-Fi 4/5/6/7 infrastructure. It demonstrates plug-and-play Wi-Fi HaLow deployment for industrial, agricultural, smart city, and consumer applications. The dongle is fully IEEE 802.11ah–compliant and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED HaLow-ready, allowing developers to test and commercialize Wi-Fi HaLow solutions quickly.

Together, the MM8108 and RD09 combine kilometer-scale range, 100× lower power consumption, and 10× higher capacity than conventional Wi-Fi while maintaining the simplicity, interoperability, and security of the wireless standard, the company said.

Applications range from smart cities (lighting, surveillance, and environmental monitoring networks spanning kilometers) and industrial IoT (predictive maintenance, robotics, and asset tracking in factories and warehouses) to agriculture (solar-powered sensors for crop, irrigation, and livestock management), retail and logistics (smart shelves, POS terminals, and real-time inventory tracking), and healthcare (long-range, low-power connectivity for remote patient monitoring and smart appliances).

Morse Micro’s MM8108 Wi-Fi HaLow SoC (Source: Morse Micro Pty. Ltd.) Renesas Electronics Corp. Digital ICs: RA8P1 MCUs

Renesas’s RA8P1 group is the first group of 32-bit AI-accelerated microcontrollers (MCUs) powered by the high-performance Arm Cortex-M85 (CM85) with Helium MVE and Ethos-U55 neural processing unit (NPU). With advanced AI, it enables voice, vision, and real-time-analytics AI applications on a single chip. The NPU supports commonly used networks, including DS-CNN, ResNet, Mobilenet, and TinyYolo. Depending on the neural network used, the Ethos-U55 provides up to 35× more inferences per second than the Cortex-M85 processor on its own, according to the company.

The RA8P1, optimized for edge and endpoint AI applications, uses the Ethos-U55 NPU to offload the CPU for compute-intensive operations in convolutional and recurrent neural networks to deliver up to 256 MACs per cycle, delivering 256 GOPS of AI performance at 500 MHz and breakthrough CPU performance of over 7,300 CoreMarks, Renesas said.

The RA8P1 MCUs integrate high-performance CPU cores with large memory, multiple external memory interfaces, and a rich peripheral set optimized for AI applications.

The MCUs, built on the advanced, 22-nm ultra-low-leakage process, are available in single- and dual-core options, with a Cortex-M33 core embedded on the dual-core MCUs. Single- and dual-core devices in 224- and 289-BGA packages address diverse use cases across broad markets. This process also enables the use of embedded magnetoresistive RAM, which offers faster write speeds, in the new MCUs.

The MCUs also provide advanced security. Secure Element–like functionality, along with Arm TrustZone, is built in with advanced cryptographic security IP, immutable storage, and tamper protection to enable secure edge AI and IoT applications.

The RA8P1 MCUs are supported by Renesas’s Flexible Software Package, a comprehensive set of hardware and software development tools, and RUHMI (Renesas Unified Heterogenous Model Integration), a highly optimized AI software platform providing all necessary tools for AI development, model optimization, and conversion, which is fully integrated with the company’s e2 studio integrated design environment.

Renesas Electronics’ RA8P1 MCU group (Source: Renesas Electronics Corp.) Rohde & Schwarz Test & Measurement: FSWX signal and spectrum analyzer

The Rohde & Schwarz FSWX is the first signal and spectrum analyzer with multichannel spectrum analysis, cross-correlation, and I/Q preselection. It features an internal multi-path architecture and high RF performance, with an internal bandwidth of 8 GHz, allowing for comprehensive analysis even of complex waveforms and modulation schemes.

According to Rohde & Schwarz, this represents a fundamental paradigm shift in signal-analysis technology. Cross-correlation cancels the inherent noise of the analyzer and gives a clear view of the device under test, pushing the noise level down to the physical limit for higher dynamic range in noise, phase noise, and EVM measurements.

By eliminating its own noise contribution (a big challenge in measurement science), the FSWX reveals signals 20–30 dB below what was previously measurable, enabling measurements that were impossible with traditional analyzers, the company said.

Addressing critical challenges across multiple industries, the multichannel FSWX offers the ability to measure two signal sources simultaneously with synchronous input ports, each featuring 4-GHz analysis bandwidth, opening phase-coherent measurements of antenna arrays used in beamforming for wireless communications, as well as in radar sensors and electronic warfare systems. For 5G and 6G development, the cross-correlation feature enables accurate EVM measurements below –50 dB that traditional analyzers cannot achieve, according to Rohde & Schwarz.

In radar and electronic warfare applications, the dual channels can simultaneously measure radar signals and potential interference from 5G/Wi-Fi systems. In addition, for RF component makers, the FSWX performs traditional spectrum analyzer measurements, enabling Third Order Intercept measurements near the thermal noise floor without any internal or external amplification.

The FSWX uses broadband ADCs with filter banks spanning the entire operating frequency range, allowing for pre-selected signal analysis while eliminating the need for YIG filters. This solves “a 50-year-old compromise between bandwidth and selectivity in spectrum analyzer design,” according to the company, while providing improved level-measurement accuracy and much faster sweep times.

No other manufacturer offers dual synchronous RF inputs with phase coherence, cross-correlation for general signals, 8-GHz preselected bandwidth, and multi-domain triggering across channels, according to Rohde & Schwarz. This makes it an architectural innovation rather than an incremental improvement.

Rohde & Schwarz’s FSWX signal and spectrum analyzer (Source: Rohde & Schwarz) Semtech Corp. RF/Microwave: LR2021 RF transceiver

The LR2021 is the first transceiver chip in Semtech’s LoRa Plus family, leveraging its fourth-generation LoRa IP that supports both terrestrial and SATCOM across sub-gigahertz, 2.4-GHz ISM bands, and licensed S-band. The transceiver is designed to be backward-compatible with previous LoRa devices for seamless LoRaWAN compatibility while featuring expanded physical-layer modulations for fast, long-range communication.

The LR2021 is the first transceiver to unify terrestrial (sub-gigahertz, 2.4-GHz ISM) and satellite (licensed S-band) communications on a single chip, eliminating the traditional requirement for separate radio platforms. This enables manufacturers to deploy hybrid terrestrial-satellite IoT solutions with single hardware designs, reducing development complexity and inventory costs for global deployments.

The LR2021 also delivers a high data rate of up to 2.6 Mbits/s, enabling the transmission of higher data-rate content with outstanding link budget and efficiency. The transceiver enables the use of sensor-collected data to train AI models, resulting in better control of industrial applications and support of new applications.

This represents a 13× improvement over Gen 3 LoRa transceivers (Gen 3 SX1262: maximum 200-kbits/s LoRa data rate), opening up new application categories previously impossible with LPWAN technology, including real-time audio classification, high-resolution image recognition, and edge AI model training from battery-powered sensors.

It also offers enhanced sensitivity down to –142 dBm @ SF12/125 kHz, representing a 6-dBm improvement over Gen 3 devices (Gen 3 SX1262: –148-dBm maximum sensitivity at lower spreading factors, typically –133-dBm operational sensitivity). The enhanced sensitivity extends coverage range and improves deep-indoor penetration for challenging deployment environments.

Simplifying global deployment, the transceiver supports multi-region deployment via a single-SKU design. The integration reduces bill-of-material costs, PCB footprint, and power consumption compared with previous LoRa transceivers. The increased frequency offset tolerance eliminates TCXO requirements and large thermal requirements, eliminating components that traditionally added cost and complexity to multi-region designs.

The device is compatible with various low-power wireless protocols, including Amazon Sidewalk, Meshtastic, W-MBUS, Wi-SUN FSK, and Z-Wave when integrated with third-party stack offerings.

Semtech’s LR2021 RF transceiver (Source: Semtech Corp.) Sensata Technologies Inc. Electromechanical: High Efficiency Contactor

Sensata claims a breakthrough electromechanical solution with its High Efficiency Contactor (HEC), designed to accelerate the transition to next-generation EVs by enabling seamless compatibility between 400-V and 800-V battery architectures. As the automotive industry moves toward ultra-fast charging and higher efficiency, the HEC targets vehicles that can charge rapidly at both legacy and next-generation charging stations.

By enabling the seamless reconfiguration between 400-V and 800-V battery systems, this capability allows EVs to charge efficiently at both legacy 400-V charging stations and emerging 800-V ultra-fast chargers, ensuring compatibility and eliminating infrastructure barriers for OEMs and end users.

A key differentiator is its ability to dramatically reduce system complexity and cost. By integrating three high-voltage switches into a single, compact device, the HEC achieves up to a 50% reduction in component count compared with traditional battery-switching solutions, according to Sensata, simplifying system integration and lowering costs.

The HEC withstands short-circuit events up to 25 kA and mechanical shocks greater than 90 g while maintaining ultra-low contact resistance (~50 μΩ) for minimal energy loss.

The HEC features a unique mechanical synchronization that ensures safer operation by eliminating the risk of short-circuit events (a critical safety advancement for high-voltage EV systems). It also offers a bi-stable design and ultra-low contact resistance that contribute to greater energy efficiency during both charging and driving.

The bi-stable design eliminates the need for holding power, further improving energy efficiency, Sensata said.

 

The HEC targets automotive, truck, and bus applications including vehicle-to-grid, autonomous driving, and megawatt charging scenarios. It is rated to ASIL-D.

Sensata’s High Efficiency Contactor (Source: Sensata Technologies) SensiBel Sensors: SBM100B MEMS microphone

SensiBel’s SBM100B optical MEMS digital output microphone delivers 80-dBA signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and 146-dB SPL acoustic overload point (AOP). Leveraging its patented optical sensing technology, the SBM100B achieves performance significantly surpassing anything that is available on the market today, according to the company. It delivers the same audio recording quality that users experience with professional studio microphones but in a small-form-factor microphone.

The 80-dB SNR delivers cleaner audio, reducing hiss and preserving clarity in quiet recordings. It is a significant achievement in noise and dynamic range performance for MEMS microphones, and it’s a level of audio performance that capacitive and piezo MEMS microphone technologies cannot match, the company said.

The SBM100B is also distortion-proof in high-noise environments. Offering an AOP of up to 146-dB SPL, the SBM100B delivers high performance, even in very loud environments, which often have high transient peaks that easily exceed the overload point of competitive microphones, SensiBel said.

The microphone offers studio-quality performance in a compact MEMS package (6 × 3.8 × 2.5-mm, surface-mount, reflow-solderable, bottom-port). With a dynamic range of 132 dB, it prevents distortion in loud environments while still capturing subtle audio details. It supports standard PDM, I2S, and TDM digital interfaces.

The SBM100B also supports multiple operational modes, which optimizes performance and battery life. This allows designers to choose between the highest performance or optimized power while still operating with exceptional SNR. It also supports sleep mode with very low current consumption. An optional I2C interface is available for customization of built-in microphone functions, including bi-quad filters and digital gain.

Applications include general conferencing systems, industrial sound detection, microphone arrays, over-the-ear and true wireless stereo headsets and earbuds, pro audio devices, and spatial audio, including VR/AR headsets, 3D soundbars, and field recorders.

SensiBel’s SBM100B MEMS microphone (Source: sensiBel) Stathera Inc. Analog/Mixed-Signal ICs: STA320 DualMode MEMS oscillator

Stathera’s ST320 DualMode MEMS oscillator, in a 2.5 × 2.0 × 0.95-mm package, is a timing solution that generates both kilohertz and megahertz signals from a single resonator. It is claimed to be the first DualMode MEMS timing device capable of replacing two traditional oscillators.

The DualMode capability provides both the kilohertz clock (32.768 kHz) for low-power mode and megahertz (configurable 1–40 MHz) clock for control and communication. This simplifies embedded system design and enhances performance and robustness, along with an extended battery life and a reduction of PCB footprint space and system costs.

Key specifications include a frequency stability of ±20 ppm, a voltage range of 1.62 to 3.63 V, and an operating temperature of –40°C to 85°C. Other features include LVCMOS output and four configurable power modes. This device can be used in consumer, wearables, IoT, edge AI, and industrial applications.

Stathera’s ST320 DualMode MEMS oscillator (Source: Stathera Inc.)

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Industrial systems normally use both analog and digital circuits. While digital circuits include microcontrollers that operate at 5 VDC, analog circuits operate generally at either 12 or 15 VDC. In some systems, it may be necessary to switch on power supplies in sequence, first 5 VDC to digital circuits and then 15 VDC to analog circuits.

Wow the engineering world with your unique design: Design Ideas Submission Guide

During switch-off, first 15 VDC and then 5 VDC. In such requirements, Figure 1’s circuit comes in handy.

Figure 1 Single pushbutton switches on or off 5 V and 15 V supplies sequentially. LEDs D1, D2 indicate the presence of 5 V and 15 V supplies. Adequate heat sinks may be provided for Q2 and Q3, depending upon the load currents. Suitable capacitors may be added at the outputs of 5 V and 15 V.

A video explanation of this circuit can be found below:

When you push the button momentarily once, 5 VDC is applied to digital circuits, including microcontroller circuits, and then 15 VDC to analog circuits after a preset delay. When you push the button SW1 for a long time, say 2 seconds, the 15-V supply is withdrawn first, and then the 5-V supply. Hence, one push button does both (sequential) ON and OFF functions.

This Design Idea (DI) is intended for MCU-based projects. No additional components/circuitry are needed to implement this function. When you push SW1 (2-pole push button) momentarily, 5 VDC is extended to the digital circuit through the closure of the first pole of SW1. The microcontroller code should now load HIGH to the output port bit PB0. Due to this, Q1 conducts, pulling the gate of Q2 to LOW. Hence, Q2 now conducts and holds 5 VDC to the digital circuit even after releasing SW1.

Next, the code should be to load HIGH to the output port bit PB1 after a preset delay. This will make Q4 conduct and pull the gate of Q3 to LOW. Hence, Q3 is conducted, and 15 VDC is extended to the analog circuit. Now, the MCU can do its other intended functions.

To switch off the supplies in sequence, push SW1 for a long time, say 2 seconds. Through the second pole of SW1, input port line PB2 is pulled LOW. This 2+ seconds LOW must be detected by the microcontroller code, either by interrupt or by polling, and start the switch-off sequence by loading LOW to the port bit PB1, which switches off Q4 and hence Q3, removing the 15-V supply to the analog circuit. Next, the code should load LOW to PB0 after a preset delay.  This will switch off Q1 and hence Q2, so that 5 VDC is disconnected from the digital/microcontroller circuit.

Thus, a single push button switches on and switches off 5-V and 15-V supplies in sequence. This idea can be extended to any number of circuits and sequences, as needed. This idea is intended for use in MCU-based projects without introducing extra components/circuitry. In this design, ATMEGA 328P MCU and IRF4435 P-channel MOSFETs are used.  For circuits without an MCU, I will offer a scheme to do this function in my next DI.

Jayapal Ramalingam has over three decades of experience in designing electronics systems for power & process industries and is presently a freelance automation consultant.

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For full-year 2025, molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system maker Riber S.A. of Bezons, France has reported revenue of €40.3m, down 2% on 2024’s €41.2m. However, second-half 2025 revenue was €29.5m (up 7% on second-half 2024’s €27.4%), whereas first-half 2025 revenue was just €10.7m (down 22% on first-half 2024’s €13.7m)...

The Union Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Sitharaman unveils the Union Budget 2026-27 on the floor of the house, amidst India’s stride to capitalise on its electronics & IT sector while boosting its defence expenditure and technology both. The union budget proposes to establish a Rare-Earth Corridor in mineral-rich states, including Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Kerala. The move is all set to benefit the automotive and electronics industriesby emans of ensuring a safe and self-sustainable rare-earth corridor to complement India’s upward momentum in automobile and electronics manufacturing.  

The Union Budget 2026-27 makes some to-the-point and striking announcements to support the upward momentum in self-enablement and security within and across the borders, both. 

What are Rare-earths Important? 

As the world moves toward more sustainable solutions, the technologies driving this shift are becoming increasingly dependent on rare earth materials—from batteries and electric motors to the magnets that power them. Parallel to this trend, a global energy transition is also gaining momentum. With electric technologies such as EVs and e-buses set to dominate the future, these materials have become strategically critical. This makes it imperative to secure their supply—either by sourcing them from geopolitically stable regions or by building self-sufficiency across the rare earth value chain.

Quite Rare “Rare-Earth” Materials 

As the name itself suggests, but geopolitics makes them far rarer. The challenge with rare-earth mining lies not only in scarcity but in the hazardous nature of the extraction process itself. Poorly regulated mining and processing have left long-term environmental and human health consequences, with communities exposed to toxic by-products for decades. 

Recalling the impact, Bhaktha Keshavechara, CEO, Chara Technologies, pointed in his address at Auto EV TVS 2025 to the regions in central China where entire settlements have been affected—often referred to as “cancer villages”—underscoring the severe social cost embedded in the global rare-earth supply chain. Conversely, the recycling of the material is way costlier than the virgin material itself, making the equations way more difficult. 

Easier logistics, Easier access 

A dedicated corridor for rare earths would certainly make the rare-earth materials way more accessible across all of India, for either the electronics or the automotive industry. This ease in accessibility will manifest itself in the form of more research, more interaction with the materials to find more solutions, making the technology and development process accessible and grounded in the nation itself. Thai will pave the way for more innovations in this field.  

National Efforts Unlocking Global Opportunity 

The proposal would empower India’s position in the rare-earth value chain globally, as the problem currently engulfs the entire world. The initiative is expected to generate stronger local economies and enhance R&D capacity. This will integrate India more deeply into global advanced‑materials value chains, as dedicated access would make even exports easier. 

Coupled with complementary international partnerships and institutional reforms, further ensure resilient access to critical minerals. With coordinated domestic and global initiatives, India is gradually positioning itself as a reliable and competitive player in advanced materials value chains.

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whole washing machine program that includes: motor, water level sensor, water flow sensor, 3 valves for water intake, float switch if water is leaking under machine, pump, heater, temperature sensor, door lock, led light inside drum, and front pcb that uses one wire uart submitted by /u/micxhailo [link] [comments]

Element Solutions Inc (ESI) today announced the completion of its acquisition of the Micromax conductive pastes and inks business, effective February 2, 2026. Micromax will operate within MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, part of ESI’s Electronics segment.

The acquisition strengthens ESI’s position as a leading global supplier of specialised electronic materials serving the electronics design and manufacturing industry. By combining Micromax’s expertise in conductive pastes, inks, and ceramic materials with MacDermid Alpha’s broad electronics materials portfolio, ESI expands its ability to support innovation across advanced and high-reliability electronics applications.

“The acquisition of Micromax is a strong strategic fit for ESI and reinforces our focus on high-value, technology-driven businesses,” said Richard Fricke, President, Electronics, adding, “Micromax’s differentiated materials and long-standing customer relationships further strengthen our Electronics segment and expand our ability to support innovation across the electronics manufacturing ecosystem.”

Building Breakthroughs by Leveraging Our Combined Expertise

With Micromax now part of MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, customers gain access to a broader, highly complementary portfolio of advanced electronic materials designed to enable performance, reliability, and design flexibility. The combined portfolio includes thick-film conductive inks compatible with polymer films, glass tapes, metals, and ceramics, as well as Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic (LTCC) materials that support high multilayer circuit density and withstand extreme operating environments.

These materials are used in critical electronic functions, such as circuitry, interconnection, and packaging and serve a wide range of end-use markets, including automotive and advanced mobility, telecommunications/5G infrastructure, consumer electronics, aerospace and defence, and medical devices.

“Micromax brings highly complementary technologies and deep materials expertise that align naturally with MacDermid Alpha’s mission,” said Bruce Moloznik, Sr. VP Business Integration, MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions. “Together, we are building breakthroughs that help customers accelerate innovation, deliver high reliability, and compete with confidence in demanding electronics markets.”

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Worldwide IT spending is expected to reach $6.15 trillion in 2026, up 10.8% from 2025, according to the latest forecast by Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.

“AI infrastructure growth remains rapid despite concerns about an AI bubble, with spending rising across AI‑related hardware and software,” said John-David Lovelock, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner. “Demand from hyperscale cloud providers continues to drive investment in servers optimised for AI workloads.”

Server spending is projected to accelerate in 2026, growing 36.9% year-over-year. Total data centre spending is expected to increase 31.7%, surpassing $650 billion in 2026, up from nearly $500 billion the previous year (see Table 1).

Table 1. Worldwide IT Spending Forecast (Millions of U.S. Dollars) 

	2025 Spending	2025 Growth (%)	2026 Spending	2026 Growth (%)
Data Centre Systems	496,231	48.9	653,403	31.7
Devices	788,335	9.1	836,417	6.1
Software	1,249,509	11.5	1,433,633	14.7
IT Services	1,717,590	6.4	1,866,856	8.7
Communications Services	1,303,651	3.8	1,365,184	4.7
Overall IT	5,555,316	10.3	6,155,493	10.8

Source: Gartner (February 2026)

Software Spending Shows Second-Highest Growth Potential Despite Lower Revision

Software spending growth for 2026 has been slightly revised downward to 14.7%, from 15.2% for both application and infrastructure software.

“Despite the modest revision, total software spending will remain above $1.4 trillion,” said Lovelock. “Projections for generative AI (GenAI) model spending in 2026 remain unchanged, with growth expected at 80.8%. GenAI models continue to experience strong growth, and their share of the software market is expected to rise by 1.8% in 2026.”

Device Growth Expected to Slow in 2026

Shipments of mobile phones, PCs, and tablets continue to grow steadily. Total spending on devices is projected to reach $836 billion in 2026. However, market-demand constraints will slow growth to 6.1% in 2026.

“This slowdown is largely due to rising memory prices, which are increasing average selling prices and discouraging device replacements,” said Lovelock. “Additionally, higher memory costs are causing shortages in the lower end of the market, where profit margins are thinner. These factors are contributing to more muted growth in device shipments.”

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