PCB Design is Moving to the Cloud

As we’ve watched the events of the novel coronavirus unfold, nearly every profession has experienced a dramatic shift in how work gets done. The field of PCB design is no exception.

Accelerating trends that we have seen over the past few years, major EDA tool companies are looking to roll out cloud-based products that allow people to work on anything from anywhere.

Altium, Inc. has been on the leading edge of cloud-based PCB design, starting with the Altium Designer and Concord Pro products, and now Altium 365, a cloud-based PCB design collaboration tool that allows multiple designers and engineers to work on the same project from anywhere, simultaneously. Octopart supplies data in real time to Altium 365, so engineers will be able to use pricing, availability, technical specifications, and CAD models from Octopart seamlessly in this new collaboration platform.

As the industry responds to new demands for remote work capabilities, we can expect to see more and more features formerly deployed on local infrastructure transitioned to cloud platforms. Features like library and data management will be integrated into the normal design flow, allowing EEs to spend less time struggling with infrastructure, and more time designing boards, sharing design files with industrial designers, and evaluating real-time quotes on prototypes.

We’d like to know how you’ve been adapting to this new reality. What tools have you been using as you design from home? Let us know by reaching out at contact@octopart.com or on Twitter.