AI has well integrated into almost every sector of the economy. It has not only driven efficiency but has also simulated innovation. As AI assimilates in to the electronic industry, new trends have sparked a growing bud of innovation for the upcoming year. The electronics industry will experience a new wave of faster decision-making, improved efficiency, and sustainability as AI develops in 2026.
As research and development in the field of Artificial Intelligence grows, the trends for next year can be understood as follows-
- Agentic AI: Artificial Intelligence is already being used extensively in the R&D sector but AI can conclusively solve a key challenge in the electronic manufacturing sector too. With the development of Agentic AI, the issues related to supply chain disruptions can be studied, allowing planning in advance. The Agentic AI can identify alternate suppliers and dynamically reconfigure logistics in response to changing conditions. This reduced human intervention can reduce delays in production, and allow for more focus on R&D. It can also be used as an all-time sales assistant, tracking customer requests, generating quotes, and even placing orders. This will bring a sustainable pace to the business of the industry and also reduce the role of middlemen, hence bringing a competitive edge. From predictive maintenance to autonomous marketing, this growing trend can unleash the full potential of the ESDM industry at present. Undoubtedly, businesses that integrate agentic AI early will have an edge over others at shaping the future of the B2B electronic industry.
Some existing providers of this technology are:-
- IBM: IBM’s prebuilt watsonx AI agents are pre-designed systems that offer standard API and SDK support for open-source frameworks, allowing developers to use their preferred tools.
- Wizr AI: Wizr allows companies to build and deploy LLM powered AI agents, trained on company specific data like, CRM logs, internal documents, and past customer interactions, providing a customized experience. They also provide enterprise-grade security and certifications like SOC 2 Type 2 and ISO 27001 for highly-regulated industries.
- TrueFoundry: This provider typically caters to data scientists, ML engineers, and IT professionals with over 1000 LLMs integrated in it along with tools for connecting with other enterprise tools like Slack, Github, and Datadog.
- Generative AI: Gen AI is expected to become the new normal in the coming years, not just for content creators but for the electronic manufacturing industry too. The lack of advanced designing capabilities in the industry can be comprehensively solved with the advancement of Generative AI. From automating the creation of innovative designs, optimizing complex systems, speeding up prototyping and iteration, to reducing development costs, and democratizing design tools, Gen AI will be the new mastermind behind innovation in the manufacturing industry. This technology will allow engineers to explore new design spaces with quick validation and create more efficient and novel electronic components and systems, faster than any traditional methodology. It will eventually also cater to the challenge of skill shortage in the miniature production sector, hence increasing the efficiency of the industry.
With prominent faces like Synopsys.ai and Cadence Design Systems, already providing a comprehensive portfolio for the designing throughout the chip design workflow, other emerging providers are:-
- Flux AI: Its AI-powered e-CAD (electronic Computer Aided Design) provides for designing and building PCBs, saving time as well as giving good results.
- Circuit Mind: this software takes high-requirements and automatically provides optimized schematics and BOMs, creating reliable and error-free circuits.
- DeepPCB: This cloud-based tool uses AI for providing an automated PCB routing.
- Cirkit Designer: Cirkit is an online platform, providing circuit designing, simulation, and collaboration.
- Zuken: Zuken is a major provider of Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools such as CR-8000, and E3.series for precise results.
- Physical AI: The shortage of skilled labor in the miniature electronic industry is all set to get a new solution with the adoption of AI-powered robotics and automated inspection to handle repetitive and complex tasks, along with the integration of augmented reality (AR) for training and real-time guidance of the human resource. This will allow the industry to use the low-skill personnel for high-level function, which will improve efficiency, quality and speed. The physical AI can retain the knowledge from a retired skilled professional to continue working in sync to the production requirements, further using the same knowledge base to train new recruits, but with a reduced cost on human-resource development. Additionally, the skilled personnel can be freed to focus on strategic and value-added activities that require creativity and decision-making.
Some of the key players in providing this technologies are:-
- Grey Matter Robotics: They are specialized in developing AI-powered robotics systems specifically for automating manufacturing and industrial operations.
- Veco Robotics: Veco integrates 3D sensoring, computer vision, along with AI to make robots work faster alongside humans. They are particularly efficient in handling delicate electronics assembly without the need for traditional caging.
- Sovereign AI: As the race to build newer AI system builds pace, it draws attention to data privacy in the AI landscape. Tomorrow is not just about any AI, but a safe and indigenous AI system that protects sensitive data with national and regional boundaries. This has given rise to a budding trend for sovereign AI. This system will allow businesses to build their own AI models which can comply with local data protection laws and industry-specific regulations. Such customized AI models can adhere to the specific needs of the business and reduce foreign dependence. A self-controlled AI system reduces the risk of cyber fraud and helps protect sensitive Intellectual property (IP). Sovereign AI can also be used to study the impact of a predicted geopolitical event on the supply chains, especially for import dependent components in the industry.
Some of the service providers of Sovereign AI in India include:-
- EDB Postgres: They offer a platform, allowing for secure, on-premises or private-cloud Gen AI interfacing. It also ensures that the data remains within he company’s control, essential for designers and manufacturers.
- Sarvam AI: It is considered India’s leading sovereign AI provider, selected by the Indian government to develop the country’s first homegrown large language model (LLM).
- Digital Twin + AI: A dynamic collaboration between a digital twin and AI will unleash new energy into the electronic manufacturing industry. As the need for miniaturization grows, the modelling of a digital twin in collaboration with AI subjecting it to real-time usage tests can improve the quality and efficiency of microscopic components like PCBs, silicon chips, and ICs. The sensors can be fed with data from real-user experiences which can help engineers design a more efficient and lasting product. It will allow minimal damage, making the process of R&D and testing more cost-effective.
From the several Digital Twin providers, some of them best suited for the electronics industry are:-
- Ansys: They specialize in simulation-based digital twins that use physics-based modelling along with AI integration to create highly accurate virtual prototype of systems.
- PTC: Their ‘ThingWorx’ platform integrates Industrial IoT, AR, and Digital Twin technologies. Allowing manufacturers to monitor, analyze, and optimize operations in real-time, benefiting product quality and predictive maintenance.
While the future of artificial intelligence is bright in the electronic industry, its integration into the existing system can prove to be a challenge. The initial costs may be overbearing for the business, however, the productivity achieved in the long-run will definitely be worth-it.
