electronics industry

The International Federation of Robotics reports the number of industrial robots operating in factories worldwide has exceeded five million. The milestone reflects steady automation adoption across manufacturing industries, driven by labor shortages, falling robot costs and rising demand for productivity. Coverage highlights the pace of robot deployment in sectors such as automotive, electronics and logistics, and what continued growth could mean for industrial employment.

China installed 59% of all industrial robots deployed worldwide in 2025, underscoring its dominance in factory automation. The figure highlights how far the country has pulled ahead of other manufacturing economies in adopting robotics, driven by large-scale investment in its electronics, automotive and general industries sectors as it pushes to offset a shrinking workforce.

The global fleet of industrial robots operating in factories has reached five million units, a milestone in the automation of manufacturing. The figure reflects years of steady adoption across industries such as automotive, electronics and logistics, with strong demand from major manufacturing economies. Observers see it as evidence of how deeply robotics has become embedded in modern production lines.

Foxconn and Alter have formed a new joint venture, Beijing Futekang, to build a mass production platform for humanoid robots. The move ties Foxconn's large-scale manufacturing capability to the fast-growing humanoid robotics sector, positioning the partners to industrialise robot assembly much as Foxconn did for consumer electronics. Industry watchers see it as a signal that humanoid robots are moving from prototypes toward volume production in China.

The worldwide stock of operational industrial robots has reached a record 5 million units, according to industry reporting. The milestone underlines the continued rapid adoption of automation in manufacturing, driven by labour shortages, falling robot costs and rising demand across automotive, electronics and logistics sectors. Analysts say the figure reflects sustained double-digit annual installations, with Asia accounting for the largest share of the installed base.

Samsung Electronics said high-bandwidth memory is expected to account for nearly 30% of the industry's DRAM production capacity next year, underscoring how demand from AI data centers is reshaping the memory market. The projection highlights the rapid shift of manufacturing capacity toward HBM, a technology used alongside AI accelerators from the likes of Nvidia, and signals intensifying competition in the segment.

Sony will not attend CES 2027, according to an Engadget report, as the company shifts its focus toward entertainment. The move marks a notable absence for one of the tech show's longtime exhibitors and signals Sony's growing emphasis on gaming, film, music and other content businesses over traditional consumer electronics showcases.

Sony is reportedly withdrawing from CES 2027, breaking an unbroken presence at the consumer electronics show that dates back to 1967. The move, reported by gadget outlet Gadget Review, would mark the first time in nearly six decades that the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant is absent from the Las Vegas event, prompting questions about its trade-show strategy.

Sony will not take part in CES 2027, with reports saying the company is shifting its priorities toward entertainment content rather than the hardware showcases the trade show is known for. The move marks a notable departure from one of the tech industry's biggest stages and fits Sony's broader emphasis on games, music, film and other media businesses.

Electronics For Imaging (EFI) and Agfa have announced an agreement to combine EFI with Agfa's Digital Printing & Solutions business, creating a global, full-service industrial inkjet company. The merger pairs EFI's digital printing platforms with Agfa's inkjet technology and consumables. Industry watchers see it as a bid to consolidate scale in industrial printing amid competitive pressure.

South Korean semiconductor startup Mobilint has announced partnerships with LG, Doosan Robotics and Daedong to supply its on-device AI chips. The deals would embed Mobilint's neural processing technology directly into products spanning consumer electronics, industrial robots and agricultural machinery, allowing AI tasks to run locally without cloud connections. The move highlights South Korea's push to build a domestic edge-AI chip industry to compete with global players.

Electronics For Imaging (EFI) and Agfa have announced a combination of EFI with Agfa's Digital Printing Solutions business, creating a larger player in industrial and digital printing technology. The deal brings together EFI's print software, inkjet and Fiery platforms with Agfa's printing systems and chemistry operations. Industry watchers are weighing the competitive impact on the digital printing market.

Sber's subsidiary has been designated as the operator of the technological fee (technological sbor) in Russia. This means the company will administer the levy aimed at supporting domestic radio-electronics production. The appointment gives Sber's division a central role in collecting and managing the fee paid on electronics imports, a scheme that has drawn significant public and industry attention.

The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has developed a technology for directly coating carbon onto substrates, according to a report by DongA Science. The technique could simplify manufacturing processes that currently rely on more complex carbon deposition methods, with potential applications in electronics and energy materials.

Berkeley Lab is highlighting the scientific research that supports a reliable supply of critical minerals, materials essential to batteries, electronics and clean energy technologies. The piece examines how laboratory science can help identify, extract and process these minerals more sustainably as demand grows and supply chains face pressure.

Clinical software company CRScube has acquired Mednet, a provider of electronic data capture systems for clinical trials. The deal is aimed at expanding AI-assisted data entry capabilities across CRScube's clinical trial technology platform. The move signals continued consolidation in the clinical trial software sector as vendors race to integrate artificial intelligence into trial data management workflows.

A new market report projects the global SCARA robot arms market to grow at a 7-9% compound annual rate through 2035, driven largely by electronics miniaturization. SCARA arms are widely used for high-speed assembly and pick-and-place tasks in electronics manufacturing, and demand is expected to rise as devices get smaller and production lines automate further.

The Pentagon has joined a $134 million funding round for a startup working to produce U.S.-made iron for rare-earth magnets, according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive. The investment signals a push to build a domestic supply chain for materials critical to weapons systems, electric vehicles and electronics, reducing reliance on foreign producers, particularly China.

Australian consumer electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi has selected Vusion, the retail technology platform, to advance its connected store strategy. The announcement, carried via PR Newswire, signals JB Hi-Fi's investment in digital in-store infrastructure and smarter retail operations. Details on the scope, timeline and financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed in the initial release.

Cadence, Synopsys and Siemens are all promoting agentic AI in their chip design tools for 2026, pitching autonomous AI engineers that can carry out design work with limited human oversight. Tom's Hardware examines how far these capabilities have actually progressed across the three major electronic design automation vendors, and what the shift means for semiconductor engineering teams.

Investors are watching Methode Electronics, Inc. (MEI), a US-based manufacturer of electronic components for automotive and industrial markets. The stock's quote, price history and latest news are being tracked closely as traders look for signals on the company's performance and outlook. No specific earnings announcement or corporate event has been confirmed in connection with the current attention.

Synopsys and OpenAI have announced a deal to jointly develop an AI model for chip design work. Synopsys, a major provider of electronic design automation software, will work with OpenAI to apply advanced AI to the process of designing semiconductors. The news was picked up by Reuters and syndicated across multiple US outlets, with coverage focusing on what the partnership could mean for the semiconductor industry and AI's growing role in hardware engineering.

Electronic Design previews the hardware on display at Embedded World North America 2026, covering the latest chips, single-board computers, and embedded modules expected at the show. The event brings together semiconductor vendors and embedded system developers to launch new components and development platforms for industrial, automotive, and IoT applications.

The Wall Street Journal reports that stockpiling of copper in the United States is raising concerns about a possible global supply crunch. Large volumes of the metal are being pulled into American warehouses, tightening availability elsewhere and pushing up prices. Traders and industrial buyers are watching closely, as copper is essential for power grids, electronics and the energy transition, and shortages could ripple through manufacturing.

Sony is reportedly in talks to acquire the upcoming film adaptation of the Battlefield video game franchise, according to a report from IGN India. The Battlefield series, developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts, has long been one of gaming's biggest shooters, and a film deal would mark a major step in its expansion beyond games. Details on negotiations, timing, or parties involved remain undisclosed.

Reports describe the aftermath of a strike on the Kaluga Radiolamp Plant, JSC Voskhod, in Russia. The facility is described as part of Russia's military-industrial complex, producing electronic components used in missile weapons. Images and claims about the damage are circulating, with the plant's role in missile supply chains drawing attention to the strike's potential impact on Russian arms production.

TXSE Group, a new electronic securities exchange based in Texas, has raised $430 million in total capital, closing its third funding round with backing from major financial firms including BlackRock and JP Morgan. The company is preparing to onboard its first corporate listings this month as it positions itself as a challenger to established exchanges.

Texas Instruments has expanded its support for the Zephyr real-time operating system across its embedded product portfolio. The move gives developers working with TI's embedded chips a broader, open-source software option, and electronics industry outlets are reporting the announcement as a notable step in the growing adoption of Zephyr in commercial embedded design.

A new report says AI agents are changing how electronics design and engineering workflows are carried out, automating tasks that previously required manual effort. The piece outlines how agentic AI tools are being adopted across the electronics industry, from circuit design to testing. Engineers and industry watchers are debating how quickly these tools will move from experimentation into everyday practice.

Clinical trial industry commentary is highlighting consolidation of electronic data capture systems as a practical way to reduce query backlogs that slow trial data management. Fragmented EDC platforms are said to generate duplicate and inconsistent queries, and unifying them could streamline data cleaning and speed up trial timelines.