Printed Circuit Design & Fab - February 2008 - (Page 8)

AROUND THE WORLD EDITED BY KATHY NARGI-TOTH Technology Leadership Awards WILSONVILLE, OR – Mentor Graphics EXPANDING MARKETS IPC Releases 2006 World PCB Market Report BANNOCKBURN, IL –The IPC recently issued the World PCB Production and Laminate Market Report for the Year 2006, showing that the market expanded 11.7% (not inflation adjusted) in 2006 to $47.6 billion, surpassing its year 2000 peak. Viewed by most in the industry as the definitive source on worldwide PCB production, the report highlights the top-ten PCB producing countries, providing special analysis on flexible printed circuits, general commentary on the worldwide PCB industry and laminate market details by region. The report also gives exchange rates, as well as historical information on world PCB production. “The report is the product of a consensus process involving the world’s leading analysts in our industry,” explains Sharon Starr, IPC director of market research. “It should prove useful to all tiers of the world electronics chain.” According to the report, growth in the PCB industry has outpaced both economic growth and the expansion of most other industries, thanks to the increasing demand for electronic products. In addition, the Asian market share has grown to 81 percent of world PCB production, while Europe and North America continued to lose share. Though slowing somewhat, China has outpaced most other countries in PCB manufacturing, approximately doubling the growth rate of PCB production in other areas. Corp. announced a call-for-entries for its 20th annual Technology Leadership Awards competition. The competition recognizes engineers and computer aided design (CAD) designers who use Mentor tools to address complex PCB systems design challenges and produce industry-leading products. Entries can be submitted from January 10th through March 14, 2008. Entrants can apply online at mentor. com/go/tla. Judging will be based on overcoming complexity challenges, such as small form factor, high-speed content, design team collaboration, advanced PCB fabrication technologies and design-cycle time reduction. Judging will start in mid-March and winners will be announced at the PCB Design Conference East, Tinley Park, IL in May 11-16, 2008. PCB industry experts will judge the contest. This year’s judges include Happy Holden, senior technology specialist of Mentor Graphics; Gary Ferrari, technical support director, FTG Circuits; Pete Waddell, vice president of UP Media, publisher of Printed Circuit Designs & Fab Magazine; and Rick Hartley, senior principal engineer, avionics division of L-3 Communications. “Mentor Graphics is committed to the PCB systems design community, and our PCB Technology Leadership Awards contest provides the opportunity to showcase the most innovative and talented designers worldwide,” said Henry Potts, vice president and general manager, systems design division, Mentor Graphics. The Virtual PCB Event Features Leading Industry Experts SMYRNA, GA – UP Media Group announced that Virtual PCB, the industry’s first virtual trade show and conference for the PCB design, fabrication and assembly markets, will feature compelling content from exhibitors and leading industry experts, including: ■ Jim Blankenhorn, SMT Plus ■ Doug Brooks, UltraCAD Design ■ Dr. Eric Bogatin, Bogatin Enterprises ■ Robert Donkers, Delegation of the European Union to India ■ Joe Fjelstad, Verdant Electronics ■ Mike Kirschner, Design Chain Associates ■ Technology Forecasters Inc. A fully interactive, Web-based event, Virtual PCB (virtual-pcb.com) will be live and open to attendees worldwide on February 12-13, 2008. The 48-hour virtual event will incorporate all the critical features of a live event while allowing PCB design, fabrication and assembly equipment and materials buyers and sellers to interact online. Supported by a proven software platform, Virtual PCB will be accessible on-demand for three months following the two-day live event. Registration for Virtual PCB is free and will provide attendees worldwide with access to all exhibits, technical content, networking areas, the media center, and much more from the convenience of their home or office computers. Qualcomm Barred from Using Broadcom 3G SANTA ANA, CA – Qualcomm has been prohibited from mak- ing, using, and selling certain chipsets and software that infringe three Broadcom patents. As ordered by U.S. District Court Judge James V. Selna, Qualcomm products using the WCDMA and EV-DO products are enjoined outright, while legacy EV-DO products offered before May 29, 2007 may ship until January 31, 2009, with royalties paid to Broadcom. Specifically, the ruling will impact Qualcomm 3G WCDMA 8 and EV-DO chips in its “Enhanced Multimedia” and “Convergence” platforms, as well as its QChat “push-to-talk” software. A Santa Ana, Calif., federal jury ruled on the infringement in May 2007, awarding Broadcom $19.64 million in damages. Broadcom had originally filed the lawsuit in 2005, alleging that five of its patents had been infringed. During the course of the litigation, Broadcom dismissed one patent, and the court stayed the case with respect to a second patent. FEBRUARY 2008 PRINTED CIRCUIT DESIGN & FAB http://www.virtual-pcb.com

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Printed Circuit Design & Fab - February 2008 Contents Our Line Market Watch Around the World Happenings ROI Tip Jar Interconnect Strategies IC/PCB Co-Design Modeling Design Tools Optical Interconnect Trade Shows Laminate Materials Off the Shelf Marketplace Ad Index BGA Bulletin

Printed Circuit Design & Fab - February 2008

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