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14 SMT007 MAGAZINE I JANUARY 2026 F or many organizations, 2025 marked the moment when AI experimentation, regional supply-chain diversification, advanced packaging, and highly compressed NPI timelines evolved into a new operational reality. The industry is converging on a more integrated, data-driven, and collaborative form of product realization. EMS providers, PCB fabricators, their respective regional supply chains, and design-tool vendors all have distinct responsibilities within this transformation, and their futures are now more tightly connected than ever. The companies that translate these emerging capabilities into disciplined, integrated processes will take the lead in the years ahead. This article will examine the seven overarching trends and their impact on both 2025 and 2026. AI-driven Automation Across the Workflow The adoption of AI across production envi- ronments is no longer reserved for early adopt- ers; it has become the backbone of competitive capability. The Global Electronics Association's 2024 data1 shows a clear shift toward factory intel- ligence: Companies that act upon aggregated data from MES, ERP, SPI, AOI, and AXI consistently outperform their peers in yield stability and NPI responsiveness. AI is now the strategic lever that determines whether an EMS operation can scale, adapt, and maintain profitability. F E AT U R E A RT I C L E BY N O L A N J O H N S O N , I - C O N N ECT0 07 1 A Look Back at 2025 as an Inflection Point