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10 The PCB Design Magazine • September 2015 the shaughnessy report Andy Shaughnessy is managing editor of The PCB Design Magazine. he has been covering PCB design for 16 years. he can be reached by clicking here. Yes, the automotive electronics segment has exploded. Early cars didn't have much in the way of electronics. Even in 1950, electronics made up only 1% of a car's cost. (That was prob- ably just the Philco AM radio.) But that figure is expected to hit 35% in 2020, and 50% in 2030. The global automotive electronics market is forecast to hit $314.4 billion by 2020, and that means a whole lot of PCBs. And that's where we come in! This issue of The PCB Design Magazine features a cover story "Automotive Systems Design: a Support Engi- neer's Perspective," written by Monica Andrei of Continental Automotive Systems. As a de- sign support engineer, she supports 1,700 PCB designers across dozens of countries, speaking a variety of languages. In this article, Andrei ex- plains in detail how Continental transitioned from a traditional PCB design structure to a true systems design approach. We're also bringing you a feature article by Mentor Graphics' Michael Ford, "The Chal- lenges of Being Competitive in Automotive Electronics Manufacturing." Ford explains how the automotive electronics landscape continues to evolve, as well as the effects of various eco- nomic, compliance, and legislative elements on this market. And we have a feature by Tom O'Connor and James G. McLeish of DfR Solutions, "Phys- ics of Failure Durability Simulations for Auto- motive Electronics." They explain how carmak- ers' design teams can use reliability physics to help predict how and why electronic systems, components and materials fail. Since the typical new car is chock-full of electronic systems and components, the potential for failure is greater than ever. Some automotive analysts and technolo- gists believe that within 100 years, everyone will own a self-driving car. These cars will stay in constant touch with each other, and acci- dents will become a thing of the past. Does that sound crazy? Maybe, but it's not impossi- ble. One thing is certain: Automotive electron- ics is one of the "driving" forces in the PCB community. Next month, we'll focus on a variety of ways to accelerate the PCB design cycle. In the mean- time, the trade show season is kicking off, with PCB West coming up September 15–17 in Santa Clara, California, and SMTA International Sep- tember 27–October 1 in Rosemont, Illinois. See you next month! PCBDESIGN CAR TAlk