Whether it's speech and object recognition, image classification, predictive maintenance, or autonomous control, Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications require powerful electronic systems. It is only modern semiconductors and sensors, scalable embedded systems, and efficient connectivity that enable AI solutions in industry, mobility, energy, and medicine in the first place. At the same time, as the use of AI grows, so do the demands on computing power, energy efficiency, and cyber resilience. The electronics industry will show which technologies are driving this development at electronica in Munich from November 10 to 13.The electronics industry provides the technological basis for the All Electric Society and enables intelligent applications in energy supply, mobility, industrial automation, and buildings. "Artificial Intelligence places whole new demands on electronic systems. What's needed are powerful, energy-efficient, and secure solutions in which hardware, software, and connectivity work together seamlessly," says Caroline Pannier, Exhibition Director for electronica. "It's precisely these developments that are the focus of electronica." AI as an accelerator and stress test for the economy and infrastructure.？AI as an accelerator and stress test for the economy and infrastructureTo remain innovative and competitive, companies today must integrate AI into their products, services, and processes. According to the German Economic Institute, 66.3 percent of large companies are already using AI, while about half of medium-sized companies are doing so. Small businesses have the most ground to make up: Only 35.6 percent use AI in their operations.At the same time, AI is opening up entirely new possibilities: machines and vehicles are becoming smarter, energy grids more efficient, medical diagnoses more accurate, and devices more autonomous. However, as the use of AI grows, so do the energy needs and cybersecurity requirements.Energy efficiency and cyber resilience as key criteriaDue to the increased use of AI, modern electronic systems must provide high computing power, use energy sparingly, and operate reliably under thermal conditions. At the same time, the attack surface for cyber risks grows as systems that exchange large amounts of data become increasingly connected, and software updates are released regularly.As a result, energy efficiency and cyber resilience are evolving from individual, isolated requirements into core system criteria. In addition, the EU Cyber Resilience Act (CRA) increases the pressure on companies to take action. Approaches such as "security by design" must therefore be incorporated as early as the architecture phase and integrated across hardware, software, interfaces, updates, and operating concepts.Hardware, software, and the application layer are convergingThe development of modern electronics is increasingly shifting from optimizing individual components to integrated, complete systems. What matters is no longer just the performance of an individual processor, sensor, or module, but rather the interaction between hardware and software, the operating system, connectivity, security, and the application layer. Customers expect products that can be quickly integrated, easily scaled, and updated throughout their lifecycle. This places greater demands on system design, software quality, and lifecycle management. At the same time, that opens up opportunities for the electronics industry to tap into new markets and make itself competitive for the future.electronica as a platform for AI, cyber resilience, and energy efficiencyAs the world's leading trade fair for electronics, electronica brings together key players that cover the entire spectrum of the industry. Around 3,500 exhibitors from some 60 countries will show how individual components are transformed into integrated, intelligent, and secure complete systems. The focus will be on the key topics of Artificial Intelligence, energy efficiency, and cyber resilience. An extensive supporting program will provide for further discussion and knowledge sharing. SEMICON Europe, taking place in parallel across two and a half halls, will offer insights into the entire semiconductor industry value chain.

？Connected and digitized vehicles, machines, and energy systems place new demands on electronics. From now on, electronics must not only deliver high-performance but also detect cyberattacks, contain disruptions, and enable secure updates. Cyber resilience is therefore becoming a key factor for trust, availability, and market success. electronica 2026, taking place in Munich from November 10 to 13, will showcase the technologies that are essential for this.？Industrial systems, vehicles, and energy systems are increasingly evolving into networked electronic systems that are controlled, updated, and secured via software. Security mechanisms can therefore no longer be added as an afterthought but must instead be integrated right from the start into the system design, particularly for interfaces, updates, and software-defined functions.？At the same time, customers, regulators and operators expect solid proof of the security and updatability of electronic systems. "As the world's leading electronics trade fair, electronica 2026 in Munich brings together key players from across the entire value chain. In doing so, it creates a framework for addressing cybersecurity not in isolation, but as a shared architectural challenge for the electronics industry", explains Caroline Pannier, Exhibition Director of electronica.？Studies show growing pressure to act？Recent studies show how important an issue this is. The ENISA Threat Landscape 2025 report, for example, identifies attacks on public administration and the transport sector as the most common targets of cyberattacks, with phishing being the most frequently used method. In many cases, hackers target companies' operational technology (OT).？However, according to a PwC study, only about 15 percent of German companies have so far invested specifically in proactive security and resilience measures. The vast majority remain reactive: Investments are only made after incidents occur or as part of regular updates, without a systematic transformation concept for prevention.？Increasing regulation of cybersecurity？To encourage companies to take action and integrate security into products from the outset, the European Union has enacted the Cyber Resilience Act (CRA). It specifically regulates products that companies place on the European market. Among other things, it requires that products with digital components remain secure throughout their expected service life and address vulnerabilities throughout their lifecycle. It covers a wide range of electronic products, not just internet-enabled devices, but essentially all products with a direct or indirect logical or physical connection to a device or network.？Effectively countering cyberattacks？As a result, the CRA makes security a key development requirement. At the same time, AI-based systems give rise to new risks: data poisoning, model poisoning, and adversarial attacks can manipulate AI models and lead to incorrect decisions. Developers are responding to this with "security by design"—that is, with security mechanisms integrated from the outset into the architecture, secure firmware, and verifiable updates.？At the component level, this includes a hardware root of trust, Secure Boot, and Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs). Secure microcontrollers (MCUs) implement security functions directly within the device, ensuring, for example, that only authenticated firmware or signed code is executed during system startup.？Exhibitors showcase relevant technologies？At electronica, numerous exhibitors will present their innovations and solutions for resilient electronics. Infineon, for example, will address the issue of cyber resilience with, among other things, its "Optiga" security solutions for embedded security. In the context of secure, connected devices, Renesas primarily offers its secure "RA" microcontrollers, including isolated cryptographic operations, secure key storage, Arm TrustZone technology, and protection measures against side-channel attacks. Texas Instruments is expanding its product portfolio with its AM263x Sitara MCUs, providing, among other things, Secure Boot, cryptographic keys, and a hardware security module.？electronica as a platform for resilient electronics？The supporting program at electronica will also focus on cyber resilience, for example in the Cyber Security Forum and in a series of presentations and workshops on the Cyber Resilience Act. Industry experts will provide insights into the latest technologies as well as practical approaches and strategies for resilient electronic products. With this framework, electronica 2026 will provide developers, technical decision-makers, and CEOs with concrete guidance on how to make their companies more resilient against cyberattacks.

？Manufacturers are driving energy efficiency in electronics, automation and industrial applications？Energy efficiency is not a new trend in the electronics industry. However, demands are growing, driven by rising electricity prices, regulatory pressure as well as the increasing need for energy-efficient components for systems, power electronics, and IoT devices. From November 10 to 13, 2026, the international electronics industry will gather at electronica to discuss the latest trends in energy efficiency.？The debate over energy efficiency now encompasses the entire electronics value chain. It ranges from semiconductors, power supply and embedded systems to electromechanics and industrial connection technology. The question of how best to achieve energy efficiency is a recurring theme across nearly all application areas, from consumer electronics and automotive electronics to industrial systems and devices.？As the world's leading trade fair and conference for electronics, electronica brings together companies from across the entire value chain to discuss technical challenges and current trends in using energy efficiently. "Energy efficiency is becoming a key requirement for the electronics industry. At electronica, it's clear that efficient products are in demand today in virtually every sector—from electromechanics and automation to connected industrial applications," says Caroline Pannier, Exhibition Director for electronica.？Energy costs are falling thanks to efficient electronicsRecent studies show that energy efficiency is becoming increasingly important across various industries. In the automotive sector, the IEA's Global EV Outlook 2026 shows that electric mobility continues to gain momentum: in 2025, more than 20 million electric cars were sold worldwide, meaning that roughly one in four new cars sold is already electric. As a result of this trend, the demand for energy-efficient electronics is growing—from power electronics and charging infrastructure to battery technology.？A study by Fraunhofer IZM shows that modern technologies are improving energy efficiency. Because of this, the energy requirements of mobile networks will increase only moderately in the coming years despite rising data volumes. Energy efficiency is also becoming a greater focus in other sectors, such as electronics manufacturing. McKinsey concludes that it is possible to reduce energy costs for semiconductor factories by 20 to 30 percent through efficiency measures.？Energy efficiency often stems from the system？For the electronics industry, this means that energy efficiency is becoming a strategic factor both in the product itself and in the manufacturing process. This is particularly evident in the field of electromechanics. This field doesn't just deal with individual components, but also with the way connectors, housings, cable routing and interfaces interact with each other.Low contact resistance, robust connection technology, EMC-compliant design and maintenance-friendly systems reduce losses, enhance operational reliability and simplify maintenance. The focus is therefore increasingly shifting toward the system as a whole, which has to be designed to be energy-efficient in order to conserve energy directly at the source.？electronica provides a platform for efficient electromechanics？electronica covers the entire electronics value chain, which is the reason for the focus on electromechanics. Exhibitors such as Harting, Phoenix Contact and Weidmüller will be showcasing connectors, relays, switches and enclosure technology, among other products. Harting, for example, specializes in industrial connectivity solutions for the transmission of data, signals and power, and focuses on applications in the fields of electric mobility, renewable energy, automation and mechanical engineering.？Phoenix Contact also demonstrates that energy efficiency begins right at the electromechanical level, for example in connectors, terminals, enclosures, power supplies and interface solutions for electrification and automation. Weidmüller's product portfolio includes the likes of terminal blocks, connectors, PCB connectors and other components for the safe transmission of power, signals and data. Meanwhile, the distributor Arrow Electronics, together with its partners, focuses on electromechanical components and high-performance passive components, which are designed to improve energy storage and efficiency and reduce losses in applications such as electric mobility, renewable energy systems and industrial automation.？This clearly demonstrates that any visitors looking for energy efficiency at electronica will find it not only in semiconductors and power electronics, but also in the field of electromechanics.？At electronica 2026, around 3,500 exhibitors from some 60 countries will showcase their latest solutions for the All Electric Society. Topics such as energy efficiency, automation and the circular economy will also be addressed in the supporting program and in the forums, where participants will discuss technological developments, regulatory issues and sustainable concepts for the future.

？"Empowering the All Electric Society" – that is at the heart of electronica 2026, which will open its doors at the Munich Exhibition Center from November 10 to 13. The world's leading trade fair for electronics will once again present the industry's entire spectrum of technologies, products and solutions helping to pave the way for an All Electric Society. In this interview, electronica's new Exhibition Director Caroline Pannier provides an insight into the upcoming trade fair and the results of a long-term analysis of the industry's assessment of the economic situation.？There are still a good nine months to go before electronica 2026, but preparations are already in full swing. What can you already tell us about the upcoming trade fair, which you will be accompanying for the first time as Exhibition Director?？We are delighted that electronica 2026 will once again occupy all 18 halls of the Munich exhibition center, together with SEMICON Europa, taking place at the same time in two and a half halls. That means that electronica once again covers the entire spectrum of the industry, which makes it unique worldwide. To keep track of everything amid this diversity, we have made the hall layout even more coherent and clear. The semiconductor area has also been extended by an entire hall.As far as exhibitor registrations are concerned, we are at the same high level as for the previous event. All the key players are back on board. There will be a very strong European presence, and we are seeing significant growth in part, from France, Italy, Poland and the UK, for example. There's also been a high level of interest from exhibitors from the U.S. and Asia.？What topics will the trade fair focus on in particular?？In discussions with industry representatives, we have identified three overarching key topics that are currently in the spotlight and that all ultimately contribute to the All Electric Society: artificial intelligence, cyber resilience and energy efficiency. We are currently in the process of refining these themes and identifying sub-topics that are particularly relevant to the electronics industry right now from the user's point of view.？What will be new at the trade fair, and what highlights can you already reveal to us?？As you know, we attach great importance to offering a very extensive supporting program that leaves plenty of room for sharing expertise and ideas, and for networking. That's why the electronica stages, for experts to provide practical knowledge in talks on almost all fields of application, will once again be set up in the respective exhibition areas. A new addition, for example, is edge lab LIVE, a special area on edge computing that is very practice-oriented with workshops and lectures. There are also award ceremonies, pitch formats and several career initiatives. The CEO Roundtable with top-class speakers will kick off the event on Monday evening before the trade fair starts. The electronica Automotive Conference, where trends and challenges in the automotive value chain will be discussed, will also be held on Monday.？Messe München recently published a Future Monitor based on exhibitor surveys from the past 13 years. The companies were asked to assess the current and expected future economic situation in their sector. How do electronica exhibitors see the future?？The evaluation of the long-term analysis produced exciting results for our industry. The electronics companies surveyed are remarkably confident about the future and are far more positive about the economic prospects than the current situation. This optimism clearly shows the key role of the electronics industry. With its solutions and innovative strength, it is helping to tackle current social challenges. Our excellent booking situation underscores just how important world-leading trade fairs such as electronica are. They bring the entire world of electronics together in one place and offer a stage for new products, professional exchange and new impetus.？The next electronica takes place from November 10 to 13, 2026.Caroline Pannier is the new Exhibition Director of electronica. Messe München GmbH

？From November 10 to 13, 2026, the international electronics industry will gather at electronica. This year, the world's leading trade fair for electronics will focus, among other topics, on Artificial Intelligence. From Edge AI to AIoT and machine learning—in Munich, a spirit of innovation, key technologies, and industry expertise will come together in one place to showcase, discuss, and further develop the technologies of tomorrow.？Today, Artificial Intelligence (AI) ranges from Edge and Cloud AI to AI-powered quality control in manufacturing and robotics to smart mobility. AI has long become a strategic competitive factor, helping companies make their processes faster, more precise, and more cost-effective. At the same time, however, the demands on data quality, IT security, and integration into processes and products are increasing. The electronics industry is systematically driving the transformation through AI and strengthening its international competitiveness as a result. "This transformation is visible at electronica, which brings together top decision-makers and developers from around the world, and showcases the entire electronics value chain," explains Caroline Pannier, Exhibition Director of electronica.？Semiconductor industry benefits from AI boom？Recent studies confirm the trend that AI is emerging as the key driver of growth and innovation in the industry. The Capgemini study The Semiconductor Industry in the AI Era, for example, shows that the widespread adoption of AI and generative AI is driving up demand for semiconductors. At the same time, downstream industries expect chip demand to rise by 29 percent by the end of 2026. A study by McKinsey also shows that semiconductor segments that produced components for AI applications grew by 21 percent annually from 2019 to 2023, while the industry as a whole achieved growth of just 6 percent.？Edge AI and AIoT are becoming key factors in the electronics industry？The trending topics of Edge AI and AIoT, in other words, the use of Artificial Intelligence directly on devices and in connected systems, are currently particularly relevant for the electronics industry. Both approaches enable data to be processed in real time where it is generated, such as in sensors, controllers, or embedded systems. That reduces latency, takes the load off the cloud, and improves data privacy, energy efficiency, and reliability.？At the same time, AI and robotics are becoming increasingly important in industrial automation, above all in the field of AI-based quality control. Automatic detection of the smallest deviations and defects on components, printed circuit boards, or in production processes helps reduce scrap, speeds up inspection processes, and ensures more stable operation of production lines. Another focus is on AI on microcontrollers: Advances in TinyML and optimized embedded AI models make it possible to provide intelligent AI functions even on hardware with limited resources.？Bringing hardware and software closer together through AI？At electronica 2026, Infineon, STMicroelectronics, and NXP Semiconductors rank among the particularly relevant exhibitors in the AI sector. Infineon is primarily driving the development of Edge AI and IoT solutions for smart, energy-efficient devices. STMicroelectronics combines embedded processing, Edge AI, and mobility-related applications. NXP Semiconductors demonstrates how solutions for automotive, industrial & IoT, and communications infrastructure can be integrated into embedded systems, microcontrollers, and microprocessors. In the automotive sector in particular, the focus is shifting toward the AI-Defined Vehicle (AIDV): a vehicle in which AI not only optimizes individual functions but also increasingly shapes perception, assistance, interaction, and driving behavior. Together, these companies demonstrate that AI is increasingly being integrated directly into sensors, embedded systems, and industrial applications.？This semiconductor environment is complemented by traditional embedded systems providers such as Advantech and Kontron, which are driving the practical application of AI. Advantech explicitly describes its portfolio as the foundation for AIoT solutions—from sensor nodes to embedded PCs, gateways, and IoT cloud platforms. With its expanded portfolio of IoT, and industrial control and communication solutions, Kontron covers the entire spectrum from modules to complete systems, including software. Both companies are thus creating infrastructural conditions needed to operate AI-based solutions in industrial environments in a reliable, connected, and scalable manner.？A platform that brings together embedded computing, edge technologies, and IoT—as well as developers, decision-makers, and system architects—is edge lab LIVE, which is making its debut at electronica this year. It combines the latest embedded technologies with practical applications and allows visitors to interactively experience edge environments.？Knowledge transfer and networking？At electronica 2026, about 3,500 exhibitors from around 60 countries will showcase their cutting-edge applications and solutions that are paving the way to the All Electric Society. Visitors can learn firsthand about all aspects of Edge AI, AIoT, and related topics across 18 halls at the Munich Trade Fair Center. In addition, a top-class supporting program, featuring an Executive Event with CEO roundtable, expert lectures, or networking events, will contribute to knowledge transfer. The numerous forums, such as the IIoT Forum and the Circular Economy Forum, will also encourage open discussion. SEMICON Europe, taking place in parallel across two and a half halls, will offer insights into the entire semiconductor industry value chain. 

Corning's long-running intellectual property (IP) dispute with China-based IRICO has entered a new phase after the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) issued what Corning views as a fair and critical Initial Determination in the company's trade secret case.The ruling marks a critical legal moment in Corning's broader effort to defend its display glass compositions and fusion manufacturing technology against IRICO's unauthorized use of Corning's patented technology, the misappropriation of trade secrets, like engineering drawings, and the deployment of Corning's proprietary technology across its manufacturing lines.For Corning, the dispute is not merely a matter of one product line or one regional market. It is a direct defense of research, process expertise, and IP that underpin its position in high-precision display glass. "This latest decision from the International Trade Commission is clearly affirms our unwavering commitment to innovation," said Brendan Mosher, International Vice President and General Manager, Corning Display Technologies."We believe strong intellectual property protection, fair competition, and trusted partnerships are fundamental to a healthy innovation ecosystem. As a 175-year-old company, Corning is continuously advancing and protecting innovation so our customers across Asia can collaborate with confidence and compete successfully in global markets."April Wins Set the StageThe July 24 outcome follows two important legal wins for Corning in April. On April 7, an Administrative Law Judge at the ITC issued an Initial Determination in a separate glass-composition patent case, finding that IRICO infringed both asserted Corning patents and that the patents are valid.The determination also recommended a Limited Exclusion Order against IRICO, including certification requirements and a prohibition on importing IRICO-manufactured LCD glass substrates that fall within Corning's proprietary composition space, as well as products, such as LCD TVs and monitors, containing such glass.Corning stated that it sought the ruling to protect its proprietary display glass substrates and technology and enforce its intellectual property against infringing products imported into the United States.Corning secured another favorable result in Europe. On April 16, a judge at the Unified Patent Court in Germany ruled in a composition patent case that IRICO infringed Corning's patent and further confirmed the patent's validity. The ruling allows Corning to seek damages and enforcement of an order that could block televisions using IRICO's infringing glass from entering Germany.Together, the April rulings gave Corning added legal momentum ahead of the July 24 trade secret determination and reinforced its stated position that its display glass IP portfolio remains valid, enforceable, and strategically important.Trade Secrets Case Expands the StakesThe trade secret case carries broader significance because it goes beyond a single glass composition. According to Corning, the company had expected a favorable result based on what it described as clear evidence that IRICO stole engineering drawings and improperly used Corning's proprietary technology across its manufacturing footprint.Corning also stated that the trade secret case is important because it could restrict imports of all IRICO glass compositions manufactured using Corning technology, including the 616 composition that closely mirrors Irico's 615 composition found to violate Corning's patents.With the latest ITC ruling now in place, the dispute moves from a composition-patent fight toward a broader question of manufacturing know-how.In advanced materials, this distinction matters. The value of a technology platform is rarely limited to a formula or a finished product; it is embedded in process control, equipment engineering, production discipline, and accumulated know-how developed over decades.A favorable trade secret determination therefore strengthens Corning's ability to argue that the dispute concerns the core of display glass manufacturing, not merely the outer boundary of one patent claim.IP Protection as an Industrial DisciplineCorning's robust legal defense reflects a broader IP philosophy. The company states that invention and innovation have been central to its success for 175 years, and that its leadership in the LCD industry is built on investment, innovation, collaboration, and trusted customer relationships.It also emphasizes that IP protection is not only about safeguarding invention; it is about defending the long-term R&D investment that enables industry-changing products, sustainable customer success, and technologies that enhance people's lives.With a global patent portfolio spanning more than 30 countries and decades of experience and investment in technology commercialization and compliance, Corning frames IP protection as a foundation for trusted innovation in high-standard global markets.This is also where Corning draws a hard line. Its IP philosophy states that when the company finds unauthorized use or misappropriation of its technology, it will take action and will not tolerate situations where its IP is compromised or infringed.And Corning's message to the industry is direct: advanced materials innovation depends on intellectual property protection and fair competition.From Fusion Process to Industry-Wide ImpactThe dispute ultimately points back to the technology at the center of Corning's display glass leadership: the fusion process. Developed more than 60 years ago, the process was created to solve one of the most difficult challenges in precision glassmaking — how to produce large, thin, exceptionally flat glass sheets at industrial scale without compromising surface quality.Unlike conventional glass-forming approaches that may require contact with forming surfaces or extensive post-processing, Corning's fusion process allows molten glass to flow over both sides of a forming structure, meet at the bottom, fuse in midair, and be drawn into a pristine sheet. Because the exterior surfaces remain untouched during formation, the process can deliver the surface quality, dimensional stability, and thickness control required for advanced display manufacturing.Over decades, this manufacturing platform became a key enabler of the flat-panel display industry. Fusion-formed glass helped support the transition from bulky cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays to thin, flat, high-resolution screens, while giving panel makers the precision substrate needed for increasingly complex LCD and TFT processes.Its impact was not limited to material performance. By enabling larger substrates, higher productivity, and more advanced panel architecture, the fusion process also helped change the economics of display manufacturing.For Corning, defending the IP behind fusion-based display glass is therefore not a peripheral legal exercise. It is a direct defense of the technological foundation that helped reshape the global display industry.

Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers' Association (TEEMA) on July 21 held an investment briefing in Taiwan on its Mexico science park plan, bringing together representatives from Mexico and Sonora state as it advanced a project aimed at helping Taiwanese small- and medium-sized enterprises expand overseas. The initiative was highlighted as part of a broader push to give smaller suppliers a more direct path into foreign markets.TEEMA said the overseas science park concept took shape two to three years ago after executives identified a gap between the support available to large manufacturers and the barriers faced by smaller firms abroad. The association said local governments overseas also have limited resources when courting investment, since officials must approach companies one by one and can only match with a limited number of firms.As a result, TEEMA wants to act as an intermediary platform that connects small businesses with resources while also easing the workload for host governments. The association said Mexico responded faster than other countries and showed the strongest support, making it the first location selected for the overseas science park plan.TEEMA outlined three priorities for the park: giving large, medium and small tenants similar treatment; creating a single service window so companies can handle permits and local government coordination more easily; and building Taiwan-style living services, including familiar food and daily amenities, to reduce adjustment costs for staff posted overseas. The association said the park is designed to bring together large companies, small firms, governments, financial institutions, and overseas partners into an industrial cluster that can lower barriers to overseas investment.The association also said the effort comes as global industry is being reshaped by geopolitics, tariffs, supply chain restructuring, and the rapid rise of AI. TEEMA said competition is increasingly determined by the integration of supply chains, manufacturing, energy, logistics, talent, and services, and that Taiwanese companies need to expand overseas together rather than operate alone to preserve global competitiveness.

Cardiovascular disease – diseases of the heart or the blood vessels that move blood to and from the heart – were responsible for an estimated 32 per cent of deaths worldwide, or just under 20 million deaths, in 2022, according to the World Health Organisation. Their takeaway? "It is important to detect cardiovascular disease as early as possible so that management with counselling and medicines can begin."Electrocardiograms (ECGs), a series of peaks that represent each heartbeat, depict the heart's electrical activity over time. An abnormal ECG (compared to one's baseline) can be indicative of arrhythmias, the medical term for irregular heartbeats that, in most cases, are not serious but can sometimes lead to strokes, heart attacks, and death. Patients can wear Holter monitors to continuously measure their ECG, but that entails placing a large number of electrodes (between three and eight, and up to twelve for greatest accuracy) on the skin, and wearing a piece of recording equipment around the neck or waist. Not only can this be inconvenient, but up to half of all patients reported some sort of skin irritation due to the electrodes.Smartwatches can also be used to measure an ECG, but only when both hands touch the device – in other words, they cannot be used for passive, continuous heart monitoring. That's where integrated circuits can help. Students at the Hanoi University of Science and Technology (HUST) are working on an integrated circuit that can continuously monitor the heart's electrical activity through the ear. Such devices are already commonplace, with many people wearing hearing aids or smart hearables for at least some of the day. There are three physical connection points – both ears and one earlobe – the minimum required to measure an ECG.The ECG collected between the ears is useful only insofar as it can then reconstruct what lead-1 ECG, which is the electrical activity as would be measured by electrodes placed on the right and left arms. The lead-1 ECG is also a standard ECG measurement that is used for diagnosis and monitoring arrhythmias. There are generally similarities between the ear ECG and the lead-1 ECG – in particular, the peaks (representing the heartbeats) appear at the same location – but they are clearer in the lead-1 ECG than in the ear ECG.So while the algorithm on the chip must be able to recover the shape of the original lead-1 ECG with as little noise as possible, it should not smooth over any possible signs of abnormality – in other words, it needs to be sensitive enough to detect arrhythmias when they are present.The system is relatively unobtrusive and runs on low power, but using the ear also presents disadvantages. The signal-to-noise ratio is low. In fact, simply shaking one's head or talking will introduce noise into the measurements. Furthermore, special data privacy concerns when collecting biological signals – each user has a unique ‘heartprint’ and some users might be particularly wary of sending such data to another machine – make it imperative that any analysis is done on the chip itself.The user himself can measure his own lead-1 ECG using his two fingers (as proxies for the right and left arms), and measure his ear ECG with the devices touching his ear. All of this is done with electrodes attached to a sensor (with a built-in analog-digital convertor, or ADG) developed by Texas Instruments. Two datasets were created to train the AI calibration algorithm for the conversion between the ear and lead-1 ECGs. Firstly, the team collected its own dataset, measuring the ECGs for 45 patients for 10 minutes each. A synthetic public dataset was also created by modifying an existing large, open dataset of ECGs, the PTB-XL. This dataset doesn't include ear ECGs, so the team added noise to existing lead-1 measurements (in an attempt to emulate the ear ECG) and tried to recover the original, non-noisy lead-1 ECG. The team, which calls itself EDABK Brain, was able to bring the algorithm's latency, or delay time between receiving the ear ECG and producing the lead-1 ECG, down to below 50 milliseconds. Such short times obviate the need to store data from the ear-ECG, for instance. At the same time, they maximised the utilisation of the processing element, meaning that they worked hard to make sure the chip was effective.After prototyping a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) with their IC design, the team trained it on the self-collected dataset. On the two most important metrics, the signal-to-noise ratio and the correlation with the true lead-1 ECG, EDABK Brain slightly outperformed state-of-the-art algorithms. It was edged out by another algorithm – but the HUST model used fewer than a quarter as many parameters as that algorithm did.For another comparison, EDABK Brain's circuit used less power and was more energy efficient than BioGAP, a leading biosensing platform that can measure ECGs as well as other electrical signals in the body. However, BioGAP's circuit has a lower latency time and a high throughput (measured in operations per second).The team behind this chip design, the EDABK Brain Team (the EDA stands for electronic design automation, and the BK stands for Bách khoa, which is in the Vietnamese name of their university,  consists of Phuong Linh Nguyen, a student who graduated from their university last year and is now studying for a master's degree at Télécom Paris (one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles and part of the Polytechnic Institute of Paris), and who spoke to DIGITIMES; and her two former classmates, Thanh Dat Do and Duc Tu Nguyen, both of whom are in their final year in the School of Electronics and Electrical Engineering at HUST; and their supervisor, Duc Minh Nguyen. Having the chance to participate in the Best AI Awards motivates Nguyen and her teammates. Being just students at the start of their scientific career, they were curious to know what industry professionals thought of their idea – does it have potential? Winning the bronze medal is confirmation that it indeed does have potential.Nguyen said that it was also a relatively rare opportunity for them to communicate their ideas in a non-academic setting. Their university was able to send three teams to the finals, which also entailed a trip to Taiwan and interactions with state-of-the-art AI and IC researchers.They will now focus on writing a paper – after all, they come from academia – and preparing patent applications. On the technical side, they want to reduce the number of bits in their resolution – in other words, see whether they can convert the analog signal to a digital one with a fewer number of bits and less accuracy – to reduce complexity and thereby power consumption. The team will also experiment with other electrodes.The Best AI Awards celebrate global excellence in artificial intelligence and IC design, welcoming submissions from innovative companies and brilliant student teams. Following the success of the 2026 edition—advised by the MOEA, organized by DoIT, and executed by TCA—the prestigious competition is officially transitioning into an annual tradition.Offering substantial grand prizes and unmatched industry exposure, the countdown to Best AI Awards 2027 has already begun. Details on the next submission cycle, prize tiers, and eligibility rules will be released soon. Connect with us on LinkedIn for the latest official updates and application alerts.

The Best AI awards were given out in two categories: artificial intelligence (AI) applications and integrated circuit (IC) design. AIYO was entered in the IC design category, but their concept – AI-powered acceleration of IC design – really straddles the two categories.Chip design is a long, arduous process. Today's chips contain billions of transistors, and designers not only have to design them to do what they want them to do, but have to ensure that the design satisfies a large number of rules and can actually be physically produced in a foundry. Since 2010, the number of transistors and gates has increased by nearly a hundredfold, but engineering productivity (as measured by the number of gates that a chip designer can design in a day) has increased by only about three times. This 29-times gap is set to widen even further over the next few years. In other words, it takes chip engineers more time than ever before to do their job.The problem lies not solely in the number of components on a chip but in the complexity in how they interact. The demand for custom silicon – ICs specially designed and optimised for specific applications or customers – and the sheer number of use cases now being designed for is growing, but it is getting harder and harder to find the engineering talent for custom silicon. Specialised silicon requires specialised talent.Tier-one design houses, like NVIDIA or MediaTek, can still find talent, but it's a different story for tier-two companies. Chip design is increasingly a bottleneck for technology companies to implement their AI-powered (and non-AI-powered) solutions.AIYO thinks that AI can help with that. It aims to reduce the gap between tier one and tier two companies, without completely replacing human design and the need for engineers. Engineers use natural language to provide their design specifications, including the constraints and requirements that the chip must satisfy. AIYO's AI agent then generates Verilog, which is a piece of code that describes the design of digital circuits.This Verilog must satisfy the specifications that the user set out. AIYO's agent can also optimise it along various metrics, such as for a lower power consumption, a higher performance (in other words, how fast the chip operates, as measured by its clock speed or data throughput), or a smaller area (PPA) are the most commonly invoked. Different chips prioritise these three factors (collectively known as PPA) differently, but AIYO can trade off, for example, a lower performance for a lower area and less power consumption.AIYO's agent then performs a closed-loop verification of the design to ensure that it is feasible. The agent reviews the error logs and iterates the design until the design passes all tests. Then – at least theoretically – the design is ready for tape-out, or actual production of the circuit at the foundry. Tape-out is an expensive process, costing in the millions of dollars, so it is essential that the finalised design performs as expected.AIYO uses RISC-V, an open-source instruction set architecture (ISAs) that has grown exponentially in popularity since its introduction in 2014; it has already been used in more than 20 billion cores. This avoids the need to pay a licensing fee to the more common (but not open-source) ISAs in use today, such as ARM or x86.The performance of IC-design agents can be measured using a standard set of test problems. Can the agent solve the problems (i.e., design a suitable IC) on the first pass? And can it solve a different set of IC design problems eventually, after however many iterations? AIYO performs at the head of the pack in both models, a little bit ahead of NVIDIA's VerilogCoder agent and far ahead of ChatGPT, DeepSeek, and Claude. One to two engineers are now required to design a chip, where three to five would have been needed before. Furthermore, it now takes these one or two engineers two months to design a chip (and they can test multiple designs simultaneously), whilst those three to five engineers in a traditional design house would have needed six months. This is an improvement in efficiency of roughly an order of magnitude.AIYO is still a work in progress, and humans are needed to check for any mistakes the engine might make – human engineers' jobs are safe, at least for now. But AIYO does makes it possible to compress the iteration cycle and for even tier-two chip design companies to realise their designs with limited human resources.One of AIYO's most pressing next steps is expanding its customer base – not only for commercial reasons, but also because this will expand their training data and thus improve their AI engine. AIYO currently has one customer who needs help designing custom FPGA (field-programmable gate array) integrated circuits. AI is, by default, a generalist, and its large language models can fail when faced with very specific use cases that it has yet to see. Helping this customer with its specific use cases can help the AI engine gain specialist skills, and the more customers that AIYO can obtain, the more versatile the tool will be.To this end, the team is expanding the set of design problems. A large set of open-source IC design problems already exists, but AIYO is also working on building their own set of synthetic design problems.The money from the Best AI Awards is great, says Ballard, but realistically, it is not even enough for one year's access to a top EDA (electronic design automation) tool – training AI models is expensive. He says that the biggest benefit from the awards is the people it has allowed them to meet, and in particular, the conversations they've been able to have. "They'll ask, 'Did you consider X, Y, and Z?' Sometimes yes, we have, but sometimes, we have an action item for the future."This also gives them an opportunity to enter talks with various venture capital investors and potential Taiwanese partners. AIYO is currently working with funding provided by the co-founders themselves, but they're hoping to find a Taiwanese venture capital investor in the next few months.Tang-Hung Po and Austin Ballard have been working on AIYO for only roughly a year. Po, originally from Taiwan and now based back in the country, obtained his master's in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Michigan; he is the company's primary engineering lead. He brings more than 20 years of experience in SoCs (systems on a chip) and ASICs (application-specific integrated circuits) to AIYO, and was previously a director and a chief technical officer at other companies.Ballard, an American based in Seattle but with a Taiwanese mother, brings his experience scaling operations at Meta, Amazon and TikTok to now handle anything at AIYO not related to engineering,  The time difference allows them to collaborate during Ballard's evenings and Po's mornings, and their almost diametrically opposite locations, along with their different skill sets, facilitates engagement with all sorts of partners on both sides of the world. (As a side benefit, Ballard now has a business reason to visit Taiwan!)The Best AI Awards celebrate global excellence in artificial intelligence and IC design, welcoming submissions from innovative companies and brilliant student teams. Following the success of the 2026 edition—advised by the MOEA, organized by DoIT, and executed by TCA—the prestigious competition is officially transitioning into an annual tradition.Offering substantial grand prizes and unmatched industry exposure, the countdown to Best AI Awards 2027 has already begun. Details on the next submission cycle, prize tiers, and eligibility rules will be released soon. Connect with us on LinkedIn for the latest official updates and application alerts.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs officialized the successful conclusion of the second annual Best AI Awards, held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center Hall 2. This year's event witnessed an extraordinary surge in international engagement, drawing 1,487 competing teams from 36 countries across the globe, which represents a near two-fold growth in foreign participation compared to the inaugural edition. Out of 253 finalist teams, 100 awards were presented to recognize exceptional breakthroughs in artificial intelligence technology and integration.Leading Innovators Secure Top Honors Across Key Industry VerticalsThe competition highlighted highly competitive solutions spanning healthcare, information and communications technology, manufacturing, and education. Eight prestigious gold medals were awarded to outstanding organizations and academic institutions, including Delta Electronics, Kneron, BrainNavi Biotechnology, ZenTech, National Cheng Kung University, and National Formosa University, alongside pioneering international teams from Thailand and Poland. These entries showcased the practical implementation of artificial intelligence, bridging advanced research with market-ready products.Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin. Credit: TCAMinister Highlights Shift From Hardware Dominance to Practical Industry DeploymentDuring the ceremony, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin emphasized that while Taiwan maintains a critical global advantage in foundational AI hardware such as semiconductors and servers, the next vital phase involves translating this power into practical applications across all sectors. Under the framework of the government's new major AI infrastructure initiatives, the ministry has established over 50 trial production sites with automated AI capabilities and developed models covering 23 core industries. More than 1,000 consultants have been deployed across the nation to actively assist over 2,600 enterprises in integrating artificial intelligence into their daily operations.Emerging Tech Trends Shape the Future of Edge and Agentic IntelligenceThe second edition successfully guided industrial investments toward the frontier developments of Agentic AI and Edge AI, shifting artificial intelligence from a passive responsive tool to an autonomous partner capable of independent judgment. Driven by strong local integrated circuit design capabilities, more than 430 projects focused on lightweight AI architectures to enable real-time processing directly within terminal devices and industrial machinery. Furthermore, 590 teams integrated open-source environments like GitHub and registered on Crunchbase, significantly elevating the international visibility of the technological ecosystem.Extended Business Matchmaking Initiatives Showcase Commercial Achievements at COMPUTEXTo foster substantial commercial partnerships, organizers featured a dedicated industry matchmaking zone during the finals to link venture capital with startup resources. This promotional effort extended into the COMPUTEX exhibition period, where exclusive matchmaking sessions successfully showcased the winning projects to connect the teams with international buyers and global investors. The Ministry of Economic Affairs plans to continue opening institutional pilot lines to support design verification, prototyping, and unified system integrations, ensuring businesses can seamlessly implement artificial intelligence without developing systems from scratch.The Best AI Awards celebrate global excellence in artificial intelligence and IC design, welcoming submissions from innovative companies and brilliant student teams. Following the success of the 2026 edition—advised by the MOEA, organized by DoIT, and executed by TCA—the prestigious competition is officially transitioning into an annual tradition.Offering substantial grand prizes and unmatched industry exposure, the countdown to Best AI Awards 2027 has already begun. Details on the next submission cycle, prize tiers, and eligibility rules will be released soon. Connect with on LinkedIn for the latest official updates and application alerts. Group Photo of the Best AI Awards 2026 Winners. Credit: TCA