The Biggest Technology Trends to Watch in 2023

| Created: March 6, 2023 | Updated: August 11, 2024

February 24, 2023

ONTRACK BI-WEEKLY

Some industry groups have been forecasting muddy waters for the PCB manufacturing industry in 2023, but that isn’t stopping development of new technology. 2022 saw record growth in production and NPI, and the first half of 2023 may see a pause. But the 2nd half of 2023 could see rebounds just in time to deliver new products focused on some of the most impactful technology trends.

Leading Insights

TPCA Sees Stagnation in Q1-Q2 2023, but Positive by Q4

The Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) sees a drop in PCB production in the first half of 2023, but expect a return to growth by Q3-Q4 of 2023.

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Share Files by Touch With Wi-R

The unique new wireless protocol, known as Wi-R, enables highly confined communications near the human body mediated through touch and gestures.

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MIT Technology Review Top 10 List

MIT’s 2023 list of the top 10 most impactful technologies includes 3D printed lungs, battery recycling, CRISPR, and many more interesting innovations.

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Korea, California, Japan Lead Hydrogen Vehicle Deployment

According to market reports, approximately 56,000 hydrogen vehicles were sold in 2022, and 30,000 fuel cell sales are already recorded in 2023.

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Open-Source Hardware Comes to Your Pocket

A new open-source PC laptop boasts a small screen, keyboard, and trackball in a 7-inch form factor.

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Trending Resources

LATEST DESIGN RESOURCES

The Beginner's Guide to PCB Power Integrity: From Board to Package

By Zachariah Peterson

Power integrity problems in PCBs and components are only getting more challenging. The new crop of designers can learn about all the factors contributing to power integrity in this 101 guide.

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LATEST DESIGN RESOURCES

What Are Ultra HDI and Package Substrates?

By Tara Dunn

Resident flexpert Tara Dunn interviews colleague and OnTrack podcast guest Mike Vinson about ultra HDI and package substrate functionality, processing, materials, and much more.

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FROM THE VAULT

Ceramic Capacitors Maximum Voltage and Derating

By Mark Harris

High reliability means that component derating has to be included when selecting parts and building circuits. Mark Harris offers his take on capacitor voltage and derating in this guide.

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FROM THE VAULT

The Benefits of High-Dk PCB Materials

By Zachariah Peterson

Everyone in the high-speed world loves to focus on low-Dk materials, but high-Dk materials have their role in high-speed PCB stackups.

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ONTRACK PODCAST

Meet Luxonis on the OnTrack Podcast

Zach talks with Bradley Dillon and Erik Kokalj of Luxonis about their advanced modular vision system. Luxonis products primarily target industrial robotics, but they are seeing growth in other unique areas like security, retail, and drones. Modular vision systems like Luxonis’ products have the potential to become more ubiquitous and enable unique sensing applications.

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Watch the New Altium Story Featuring Luxonis

Come see how Luxonis uses Altium Designer to build their modular AI-powered robotic vision products in the most recent Altium Story.

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NEW VIDEOS AND TUTORIALS

Orthogonal PCB Routing for Beginners

Go back to basics with an overview of orthogonal routing, including some simple examples between a custom or connector pinout and a small microcontroller.

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PCB DNI Best Practices Explained

Don’t get caught with a prototype that contains assembled components which should have been DNI’d. If you’re not a fan of variants, here are some practices you can use to call out DNI/DNM/DNP designations for components.

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Sourcing Insights

Now online! Get free industry supply and demand trends for a smarter design and faster delivery.

We are excited to announce that EDDI is now available online.

Spectra’s EDDI gives you access to proven design, supply and sourcing signals cultivated by our audience of millions of engineers. EDDI’s insights can empower you to help your company navigate the electronics industry supply chain and make better business decisions.

The Industry Supply Index increased by 1 point this month to a total of 130 points. This is the ninth consecutive month reporting a positive change across the overall index. The last reported index low was seen in July 2021, where the industry supply index value was at 72 points. There has been a steady recovery since then, each month adding to the overall 81% positive change in the ISI.

The Industry Demand Index decreased overall by 1 point this month to a total of 133 points. This slight drop is concurrent with trends across most demand indices for January. The last index high for Industry Demand was seen in February 2022 at 167 points. Since then, the overall decline in the IDI totals 34 points (20.4%)

The sourcing signals in the Discrete Semiconductors category were mixed this month. MOSFETs represented the largest increase in the demand index value, gaining 11 points (5.9%). The supply index value also increased by 4 points (3.4%) for a total index value of 92 points. While the supply index in the MOSFETs subcategory has made a strong recovery since April of 2022 of 104% positive change, the demand index value at 198 points continues to lead in demand for the Discrete Semiconductors category.