March 10, 2026

Data Centers In Space? SpaceX, xAI, startups, and Google research are advancing plans for orbital data centers powered by constant solar energy. Yet huge power needs, cooling limits, launch costs, radiation, and maintenance challenges mean systems would rely on swarms of smaller satellites. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor The Next Step in Surface Prep! All-new Ontos Clean Atmospheric Plasma System. Create pristine, atomically-controlled, activated surfaces without a vacuum chamber. Ontos Equipment Systems

VIEWPOINT 2026: Lukas Buske, CEO, Plasmatreat GmbH Yes. We presented new technologies for atmospheric plasma jets for electronic and semiconductor applications at Productronica and Semicon Europa in November 2025. These new technologies will be presented at upcoming shows in 2026 and customers can run trials as we speak. Our PDW100 plasma nozzle ... Plasmatreat GmbH

Current Characterization of Various Cu RDL Designs In Wafer Level Packages (WLP) This study evaluates copper redistribution layer fusing currents in wafer-level packaging through experiments and simulations, finding that silicon thickness significantly improves heat dissipation and fusing performance. Technical Paper

Sponsor Die-on-Tab for Compound Semiconductors This white paper explains why die-on-tab is critical for GaN and GaAs RF power devices, improving heat dissipation, reliability, and system life. Download now. StratEdge Corporation

China's chip industry seeks more state support for AI dominance Chin's semiconductor leaders urged stronger state backing for AI chips and critical materials at the "two sessions," proposing pricing oversight and a national computing-power market while expanding domestic chip equipment to counter foreign curbs. South China Morning Post

Six Trends Driving 3D IC Innovations in the AI Era Surging AI compute demand is pushing chip design beyond transistor scaling, accelerating adoption of 3D ICs. Engineers now use system-technology co-optimization, co-packaged optics and advanced cooling to manage interconnect, power and heat. EE Times

Sponsor Thermal Warpage Testing Services If you have any questions on your Thermal Warpage and Strain Metrology, our applications engineering experts will provide you with accurate and timely information for all your needs. Akrometrix

Technical Papers Alpha Particle Emissions: An Overlooked Risk for Soft Errors in Advanced Packaging Revolutionizing IC Packaging with High-Density RDL Technology EOTPR Fine pitch probing for die-to-die interconnect failure analysis in chiplet devices Die-on-Tab for Compound Semiconductors: Enabling Advanced RF Power Systems Package Assembly Design Kits: The Future of Advanced Package Design Novel Molded FCBGA Package Platform For Highly Reliable Automotive Applications Eliminating Interfacial Delamination in High-Power Automotive Devices MORE TECHNICAL PAPERS

Sponsor Die-Module Attach for High Power Devices High flexibility film and paste adhesives for large die and module attach. Outstanding thermal conductivity with low moisture absorption stress-free bonding. AI Technology, Inc.

China's chip bosses endorse semiconductor push in next 5-year plan China's semiconductor firms including Cambricon and Tongfu Microelectronics back the country's 15th Five-Year Plan, prioritizing chips, advanced processes, materials and AI hardware as officials push infrastructure upgrades and domestic chip use. South China Morning Post

Fallout From Nvidia-Groq Deal Validates AI Chip Startup Landscape Nvidia's $20B licensing deal with Groq signals rising demand for non-GPU AI accelerators and exposes GPU weaknesses in inference. The move validates heterogeneous chip architectures, boosts investor confidence in AI startups, and intensifies competition in inference hardware. EE Times

Sponsor Temporary Bonding Materials Brewer Science offers temporary bonding solutions with high adhesion and high thermal stability (≥ 400˚C) to enable thinning ≤ 50 µm. Brewer Science

Samsung workers mull late-May strike Unionized workers at Samsung Electronics began voting on an 18-day strike over pay, with results due March 18. The unions demand a 7% raise and bonus transparency, raising concerns that a May walkout could disrupt memory production for AI chips. Taipei Times

Nvidia's $4B Photonics Venture: What You Need to Know Nvidia is investing $4 billion in suppliers Lumentum and Coherent to secure components for AI centers. The deal combines equity, supply commitments, and joint R&D to expand indium-phosphide laser capacity and accelerate co-packaged optics for faster GPU cluster interconnects. EE Times

Sponsor Dedicated Tool for Process Development Advanced plating capability at Uyemura Tech Center: Process Development, UBM, pilot production. ENIG, ENEPIG, EPIG/EPAG, RAIG immersion gold; all substrates. On-site analysis. Uyemura

Research Bits: Mar. 9 Researchers unveiled three semiconductor breakthroughs: UNIST built a low-noise clock circuit, Penn State developed tiny 2D-material thermal sensors, and KAIST engineered carbon-nanotube "sandpaper" to improve precision in chip manufacturing. Semiconductor Engineering

The Future of Semiconductors: Engineering in the Convergence era The semiconductor industry is pivoting beyond pure silicon scaling toward system-level innovation. Engineers now integrate software, physics, packaging, and AI, using digital twins and agentic AI to continuously verify designs and manage rising chip complexity. Semiconductor Engineering

Sponsor Contamination Control Balazs™ provides technical expertise in identifying and controlling Airborne Molecular Contamination (AMC) and Surface Molecular Contamination (SMC) for improving process and product yields. Balazs Nanoanalysis

Ubitium Tapes Out First 'Universal' RISC-V Chip German startup Ubitium completed the first silicon tape-out of its universal RISC-V processor on Samsung's 8-nm process, aiming to replace fragmented embedded chips with a single architecture that handles CPU, AI & real-time workloads, simplifying development, supply chains. EE Times

Sponsor Particle-Free Plasma Oxide Reduction Turnkey plasma systems for semiconductor packaging. Highly reliable. Perfect for high-mix or high-volume manufacturing. Learn more. Surfx Technologies