Speaking, as we were last month, about artificial intelligence and its adoption into electronics design and manufacturing, we observed that a current obstacle to implementation is the use by vendors of customer data in order to build their models.

And while vendors insist the data are aggregated and anonymized, said customers, naturally, have been generally circumspect over the perceived cost of the lessons they have learned – often painstakingly – being used to enable competitors, not to mention ultimately paying those same vendors for the courtesy.

To that I will add the musings of Neil Thompson, who is the director of the future tech research project at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

Thompson argues that AI systems must not just be capable of performing “human” tasks but also must overcome the costs of implementation, including redesigning processes and methodologies. “There are a lot of places where ... humans are a more cost-efficient way,” he says.

TEMPE, AZ – Benchmark Electronics announced $666 million in revenue for the second quarter, down 9.1% from last year's second quarter.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – Total North American EMS shipments in June were down 2.4% compared to the same month last year, according to IPC's North American EMS Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.32.

GLENVIEW, IL – ITW's Test & Measurement and Electronics segment saw $678 million in revenue for the second quarter, down 3.1% from the same quarter last year.

NOIDA, INDIA – Dixon Technologies saw year-over-year revenue grow by 101% for the first quarter of its fiscal year, totaling INR65.8 billion ($758.8 million).

MIAMI – Element Solutions announced second quarter sales of $392 million for its Electronics segment, a year-over-year increase of 10%.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – Total North American PCB shipments in June were up 1% percent compared to the same month last year, IPC found in its latest North American PCB Statistical Program report. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 0.95.

BRUSSELS – SEMI has published recommendations to advance the European semiconductor industry in response to the European Economic Security Strategy.

SAN JOSE, CA – Sanmina announced $1.84 billion in revenue for the third quarter of its fiscal year, a decrease of 16.3% from the same quarter last year.

NEENAH, WI – Plexus announced revenue of $960.8 million for the third quarter of its fiscal year, representing a 6% year-over-year decrease.

TEMPE, AZ – Benchmark Electronics has opened an expansion at its Brasov, Romania, facility that more than doubles its manufacturing capacity in the region.

TORONTO – Celestica's revenue of $2.39 billion in the second quarter marked an increase of 23% compared to the same quarter last year.