Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1520492
46 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2024 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE O nce again, we were back at IPC APEX EXPO for another show and conference, and back to gath- ering in the Anaheim Conven- tion Center. With Disneyland just across the street, there were tourists everywhere. This APEX EXPO was bigger than ever, with more activities, Professional Development Courses, standards committee meetings, and the 16th Electronic Circuits World Con- vention. I really enjoyed walking around and seeing everything the show had to offer. After an excellent keynote on Tuesday by Paul Bailey titled "The Art of the Impossible," the show opened, and a large crowd surged in. I spent the day walking the aisles and looking at all the technologies. One factor that kept recurring was the use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a catch-all phrase. It was difficult to really understand what part of AI was being employed, but it was the use of rule-based learning of errors that could then be used to correct the root causes. Many of the Real Time With… interviews conducted in the I-Connect007 booth discussed the prevalence of AI. One of the highlights for me was the Taiwan High-Tech Forum on Wednesday, presented by the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA). TSMC provided opening remarks about the super-IC fabrication for the world. They showed a very slick video about their processes and packaging. Other Taiwan luminaries, including the Industrial Technol- ogy Research Institute (ITRI), gave an over- view of its research for IC packaging and critical materials. This was followed by key Taiwan packaging substrate suppliers like Unimicron and Kinsus Interconnect Tech- nology Corp., where leaders reviewed their technologies, capabilities, and materials. In the afternoon, the presentations came from material suppliers such as EMC, TUC and NanYa, which have laminates suited for IC substrate packaging. These were more focused on products and capabilities rather than data-driven technical presentations. On Thursday, I attended the special technical session on advanced packaging hosted by IPC CTO Matt Kelly. There were three presenta- tions, including one by Hannes Voraberger of AT&S, whose excellent remarks focused on his company's IC packaging product line and processes. The company is growing sig- nificantly, with sales exceeding $1.98 billion euros and 14,000 employees in five countries: Show Review by Happy Holden Delving Into Special Sessions