Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1493016
136 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2023 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE industry leaders helped frame the conference tracks and reviewed papers on timely topics related to Factory of the Future, miniaturiza- tion, materials, and reliability. Those papers met a high bar for acceptance. 3. Sustainability, sustainability, sustainability. Long an emerging topic of interest for IPC's government relations team, sustainability kept popping up at the meetings I attended. Many of these meetings had no overt con- nection to sustainability, which underscores just how intertwined sustainability is with all aspects of operating a business today. IPC Lead Sustainability Strategist Kelly Scanlon took the opportunity at APEX EXPO to high- light IPC's new sustainability initiative, which includes an industry-wide materiality assess- ment. This is truly groundbreaking work that will deliver benefits to electronics manufac- turers across segments and geographies. 4. Advanced packaging is the new king. The packed room at the Advanced Packag- ing Special Session should dispel any doubt about the emerging and enthusiastic inter- est in advanced packaging. The event, led by IPC CTO Matt Kelly, included TTM's Matt Neely, Sanmina's Jim Fuller, and Hyperion's Sam Salama. Each spoke from their own vantage point but affirmed a common mes- sage: the U.S. needs to invest in building state-of-the-practice and state-of-the-art IC substrate capabilities if it expects to be a leader in semiconductor innovation. As she always does, TechSearch's Jan Vardaman spoke clearly, pointedly, and with exceptional authority. She and Matt have become key sources of expertise on global IC substrate trends and regional needs as evidenced by their tremendous insights during this session. 5. USPAE's Chris Peters introduces "NewCo" concept. Chris Peters, the executive director of the U.S. Partnership for Assured Electronics (USPAE), introduced an exciting, industry-led initiative to attendees of the Defense Electronics Sup- pliers Roundtable, an annual IPC APEX EXPO event hosted by the DoD's Executive Agent for Printed Circuit Boards. USPAE proposes to establish a new private-public partnership to produce ultra-high-density interconnects in the U.S. in a manner that supports the adoption of these capabilities more broadly across the U.S. industry. If you're interested in learning more, contact him at ChrisPeters@ uspae.org.