Welcome to the November issue!
As you read this, you should be either preparing for, or having taken part in electronica.
And given that the “world’s leading electronics trade fair and conference” recently celebrated its 60th anniversary – yes, seriously – I thought it was worth taking a deeper look at this biennial celebration of all things gee-whiz.
Launching in 1964, this seminal exhibition – allegedly, Germany’s first, exclusive electronic component tradeshow – initially drew an impressive 400 companies and 14,000 visitors.
Over the next couple decades, the Munich Mecca saw advances in microprocessors, semiconductor memory, home computers, and GPS technology, while the ’80s and ‘90s showcased early mobile phones, lithium-ion batteries, the World Wide Web, and digital cameras.
As the new millennium dawned, electronica embraced the digital age, with all the endemic internet technologies, its promise and peril (but mostly the former). Let’s face it – in the late ‘90s and early aughts, the mythical “net” was an amalgamation of The Matrix, Hackers, and hopes and dreams, with a pinch of existential dread.
Fast forward a couple decades, and after the very first digital/virtual event in 2020 because of COVID-19, electronica began promoting its "All Electric Society" motif in 2024, the same year as its six-decade anniversary. Oh, and it also drew 3,480 exhibitors and over 80,000 visitors, a robust showing and fantastic turnaround since the doldrums of the coronavirus and the lockdown.
Will 2026 continue in the tradition of electronica’s rich history? Well, yeah, more than likely, especially with it apparently focusing on artificial intelligence, cyber resilience, and energy efficiency.
“Learn how AI can enable new business models and optimize energy systems, make electronics more resilient, and influence the development of the next generation of energy-efficient systems,” says the show’s website.
Between electronica’s focus and all the industry and consumer attention heaped upon it (to say nothing of our editor blogs), suffice it to say that AI is kinda a big deal, and with all the money, brainpower, and mainstream media attention focused squarely on it, it won’t be abating anytime soon.
And as if it underline my point, our November Issue Focus (“Power Semiconductors”) features several articles with direct or tangential relation to this latest – and perhaps greatest – topic du jour, including “AI's Power Problem Is a Passive-Component Problem,” by Würth Elektronik eiSos Group, and “How MEMS-Based Circuit Breaker Are Redefining AI Data Center Power Distribution,” by Menlo Microsystems.
The very first line in Wurth’s article says all that needs to be said: “AI has become the single most important driver of data-centre electricity demand.”
Enjoy the November issue and have fun at electronica!
Best Regards,
Jason Lomberg
North American Editor, PSD
