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In part one of this series, How AI Broke the Memory Market, we looked at how AI data center demand turned memory into a bottleneck and why DRAM and NAND prices are unlikely to normalize quickly. Now we’ll explore how to operate in this environment. If you’re designing or sourcing hardware in 2026, you still need to make choices: which parts to spec, how to structure your designs for flexibility, and how to manage supply chain risk. We'll cover...

Key Takeaways AI data centers have become the primary customer for memory silicon, driving changes to wafer allocation across DRAM, HBM, and NAND simultaneously. This supply-demand cycle is different. Limited fab expansion, mostly sold-out NAND production, and multi-year HBM contracts mean the shortage will likely persist into late 2027–2028. Legacy and embedded designs are collateral damage. DDR3, early DDR4, and SLC NAND face rising EOL risk...

The ECAD software world is peculiar in that it features a near total lack of file compatibility. ECAD files created in one application can’t be opened and modified natively in another application, instead requiring a “migration” process to convert the files between formats. This creates a problem for many companies in that they often maintain licenses for ECAD applications they no longer use; this is done simply to allow a company to open and...

MOSFET switching circuits appear in a wide range of electronic systems, including DC-DC converters, motor drivers, power distribution switches, and actuator controls. These systems commonly use low-side switches, high-side switches, half-bridges, and full H-bridges to regulate power delivery to loads. Although MOSFETs perform the actual power switching, additional circuitry is usually required to generate control signals and enforce safe...

Discover how Agile Teams streamlines your path from validated prototype to production-ready BOM — with cost control, and supply resilience built in. The transition from a working prototype to a production-ready product is where many hardware teams hit unexpected roadblocks. Component costs balloon at volume, single-sourced parts create supply chain risk, compliance gaps delay production release, and BOM handoffs between engineering and...

Consumer devices keep getting thinner, lighter, and more mechanically complex, pushing more products toward rigid-flex PCB architecture. Rigid-flex lets you place high-density electronics where they belong, then route through tight corners, wraps, or constrained 3D cavities without filling the enclosure with connectors and cabling. When you treat bend regions, stackups, and manufacturing communication as first-class constraints from the start...

Open your morning import invoice in 2026, and the sticker shock is not just a number. It represents a geopolitical statement. For many mid-market firms, the period of low-friction, direct sourcing from traditional hubs has slammed into a wall of aggressive trade policy. With effective tariffs on Chinese imports now hitting 35%, moving a printed circuit board is no longer a simple logistics task but a high-stakes maneuver. Direct imports from...

Discover how BOM Portal and Assembly Assistant take you from a released design to prototype-ready in minutes, not days. After releasing your PCB design and generating manufacturing files, the real race begins: preparing your BOM, sourcing parts, and assembling your first prototypes. Yet this phase is where many teams lose days or weeks to manual spreadsheet work, scattered supplier research, and error-prone hand assembly without guidance. Join...

Discover the latest additions to Altium’s Requirements Portal — including a brand-new AI-assisted importer that turns unstructured documents into structured requirements with ease. Hardware teams spend too much time manually transferring requirements from PDFs, spreadsheets, and Word documents into their engineering tools. This process is slow and error-prone, and it pulls engineers away from what matters. Join us for a first look at the AI...