Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1189040
22 SMT007 MAGAZINE I DECEMBER 2019 Vijay: That's a good question. I would not take the very simple definition that 5G means faster download speeds. It's not that big a deal, but it's about integration into various aspects. I'm not necessarily going to go into the consumer aspects on IoT with washing machines talk- ing to phones; that's nice and fun. But the impact of 5G is in the communication aspects. For example, if you look at a football field, tra- ditional RF towers can service say 10,000 peo- ple, but in a full football stadium where there could be 50,000 spectators, you cannot have the same old technology. 5G is going to facil- itate that seamless communication for those dense pockets with radical redesigns, sav- ing on space and money, as well as reduc- ing the latency. That is really cool. Likewise, when you're traveling in a car, and you want to make sure accidents don't happen, every car will talk to each other; 5G will facilitate that. The same will happen with the tower, so that's a big deal and true material science. That's how 5G will improve safety and reli- ability. Matties: From an assembler's point of view, we're still placing components on the board, and it's not necessarily a challenge for them. Vijay: Not necessarily because with 5G, the type of component sets are changing. A direct impact would be higher-power, higher-heat outputs. To put that in a material and solder perspective, whatever material is used to sol- der, you had better be sure that your voiding is even lower, the thermal conductivity is a lot higher, and then the entire stack up becomes a lot more important. For the assembler to be aware of this makes them incredibly more pow- erful when dealing with high-power 5G infra- structure leaders. Matties: I appreciate your time today. Thank you very much. Vijay: Thank you. SMT007 Again, this has opened the door for advanced materials to maintain bondline control and increase cycling reliability with the lowest cost of ownership. In fact, I was in a conference recently where it was stated that for the next 10 years, automotive electrification and ADAS platforms are going to constantly evolve and automotive manufacturers are completely okay with one-off solutions for specific challenges, which will then eventually converge to standardized solutions. The industry is open to adapt and implement specialized solutions for specific challenges. Matties: As an EMS provider or an assembly provider to automotive, where do you think the critical factor is that they really need to understand? Vijay: I think expanding their know-how and understanding of what automotive customers want specific to electrification and ADAS is going to be critical for them to be a true part- ner in assembling complex boards, so that's step one. Step two is better integration with material suppliers to ensure that the right material is designed in from the get-go given that the reliability landscape on these complex platforms is rapidly changing. Matties: Is there a difference between doing business in Europe and in Asia where we see a large automotive boom? Vijay: From a volume perspective, there will be differences, but if you look at all the design work, a lot of it's still being done in Europe because it's the powerhouse for high-reliabil- ity and high-power, and it will remain that way for the time being. Specifying and validating still happens in Europe, but Asia is catching up pretty fast. Matties: It's about reliability with autonomous vehicles, but there's a step in between autono- mous vehicles and where we are today. There's a lot of talk about ADAS, RF, and 5G. What do you think 5G means to the marketplace from an assembler's point of view?