My latest supply chain checks indicate that Nvidia has begun testing glass-free copper-clad laminate (CCL) based primarily on hydrocarbon (HC) resin as a replacement for glass-free PTFE-based CCL tested previously, paired with glass-free HC-based PP. The goal is to determine whether this material combination can meet the switch tray PCB requirements for Rubin Ultra NVL576, an eight-rack interconnected solution expected to enter mass production in 2H27. Preliminary tests conducted as part of efforts to improve PCB manufacturability show that glass-free HC CCL meets the switch tray’s high-frequency electrical requirements. Its electrical performance trails that of the original PTFE solution but exceeds that of M9-class solutions and even surpasses M10’s stated specifications. These results do not represent a final material selection, but they indicate that NVIDIA continues to seek higher PCB manufacturing yields and greater production efficiency while meeting electrical requirements. 1. Key Takeaways and Analysis (1) Previous NVL576 switch tray tests used glass-free PTFE CCL paired with glass-free HC PP. The latest round replaces the PTFE CCL with glass-free HC CCL while retaining the same HC PP part number. (2) Shengyi Technology is currently the leading supplier in the NVL576 switch tray material evaluations. The materials involved are SG5300N (glass-free PTFE CCL), SG1030N (glass-free HC CCL), and SIF09 (glass-free HC PP). (3) The primary objective of testing glass-free HC CCL as a replacement for glass-free PTFE CCL is to determine whether PCB manufacturing yields and production efficiency can be improved while still meeting high-frequency electrical requirements. (4) To further improve PCB manufacturability, subsequent tests may also evaluate replacing glass-free HC PP with woven-glass-reinforced HC PP. The challenge is whether the glass-reinforced material can still meet signal integrity and 0.4 dB/in loss requirements. (5) Notably, both SG1030N and SIF09 still contain small amount of PTFE, although HC is the primary material. These tests therefore do not represent a complete shift away from PTFE. Rather, they involve adjusting the primary resin system and material combination to balance high-frequency electrical performance with PCB manufacturability. 2. Conclusions (1) The long-term trend toward broader use of PTFE in advanced PCB materials, including CCL and PP, remains clear. However, the pace of shipment growth over the next two years remains uncertain. Key variables include NVL576 switch tray PCB’s final material selection, NVL576 adoption rate, and development progress on Kyber-like rack designs that use orthogonal backplanes. (2) HC use in advanced CCL and PP continues to expand. Beyond NVL576 switch trays, near-term growth drivers include the production ramp of M9-class materials beginning in 4Q26, followed by the adoption of M10-class materials. (3) Once specifications are finalized and mass production begins, it's expected that Shengyi Technology to accelerate sourcing from Chinese HC suppliers. These include existing suppliers such as Dongcai and Shengquan, as well as potential ones such as GCH Technology. This should help alleviate supply shortages and optimize its cost structure.

Some updates on bottleneck timelines: - ABF substrates: 1 year / eg. Ajinomoto (2802) for ABF film, Ibiden, Unimicron, Nan Ya PCB, etc make the substrates - HDI Boards: Over 6 months / Victory Giant (300476), Zhen Ding (4958), Unimicron, Compeq (2313), Meiko (6787) - Multilayer boards: ~6 months / Victory Giant, WUS (002463), $TTMI, Gold Circuit Electronics (2368), - CCL: Over 6 months (severe shortages of materials) / Elite Material (2383), Shengyi (600183), TUC (6274), ITEQ (6213), Nan Ya Plastics (1303), Resonac (4004) Mitsui Kinzoku (5706) / HVLP copper foil. Nittobo / glass fiber/cloth - MLCCs, chip resistors, tantalum capacitors, aluminum electrolytic capacitors: 15-20 weeks to 1 year+ MLCC: Murata (6981), Samsung Electro-Mechanics, TDK (6762), Taiyo Yuden (6976), Yageo (2327), Walsin (2492) Chip Resistors: Yageo, Walsin, KOA (6999), Rohm (6963) and $VSH Tantalum capacitors: Kyocera/AVX, Yageo/KEMET, $VSH again Aluminum electrolytic capacitors: Nippon Chemi-Con (6997) Nichicon (6996) | Timelines sourced from Digitimes, did the honors of adding in related companies. But it's slightly more nuanced since MLCCs and others mix. in commodity types vs. AI DCs. Regardless, just some helpful mapping.

The Q-glass vs. PTFE debate is still raging, but the ground truth is clear: ultra-high layer count AI boards are locked in for the M9 + Q-glass setup. 🧵👇 PTFE materials cause severe processing bottlenecks in drilling and lamination. It’s so problematic that even Shengyi Tech had to alter its PP formulations. Looking into 2027, the volume ramp-up of next-gen LPUs (featuring massive 52-layer designs) will trigger a massive surge in Q-glass demand. PTFE will remain strictly confined to low-layer topologies. #PCB# #Semiconductor# #AI# #SupplyChain# #Hardware#

#我爱你中国# While introducing the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel to tourists from Taiwan Province, Dilnur Tursunjan, a tour guide from Xinjiang, China, said: "Because people need such a convenient road, our motherland can make mountains yield and rivers give way!" 中国新疆导游迪丽努尔·吐尔逊江向台湾省游客介绍天山胜利隧道时说：“因为人民需要这样一条好走的路，祖国可以让高山让路，让河流低头！” #China# #NationalDay# #PRC77th#

When AI Automates the Craft You Loved DeepSeek engineer Liu Shengyu’s viral article, "I Had to Bury My Talent in Yesterday", is not simply about losing a job. It captures something more personal: AI may preserve an expert’s value while taking away the part of the work that gave it meaning. Zhihu contributor BBuf sees a warning about craftsmanship, how expertise is formed, and who controls frontier intelligence. 1️⃣ From craftsperson to machine operator Kernel optimization was deeply hands-on. Engineers learned Hopper and Blackwell, arranged shared memory, tuned warps, inspected PTX and SASS, then profiled repeatedly to push throughput higher. The process itself was rewarding. But the role is shifting from weaving the sweater to supervising the knitting machine. Experience still matters. Experts know which designs and failure modes to watch. Yet the activity they loved is no longer what production demands. 2️⃣ Kernels are ideal work for agents An agent can read CUDA, PTX, and SASS, identify stalls, propose an optimization, compile it, run benchmarks, fail, and try again. A human explores only a few paths at once. Fast models paired with tens or hundreds of agents can search far more broadly. BBuf’s conclusion is blunt: whenever work supports repeated, meaningful trial and error, humans may struggle to compete. The same pattern could extend from kernels to algorithms and mathematics. 3️⃣ The expertise paradox If beginners let AI write everything from day one, where will senior judgment come from? Experienced engineers may remain better at directing agents because they understand hardware and hidden trade-offs. But the traditional path for acquiring that intuition may disappear as the underlying craft is automated. The risk is not only fewer jobs. It is losing the apprenticeship process that once created experts. 4️⃣ Intelligence is also a distribution problem If frontier models become the main engine of technical work, who controls the compute behind them? Open weights do not mean everyone possesses frontier intelligence. BBuf argues that unequal access to compute could become unequal access to effective intelligence. The open-versus-closed debate is not merely about licenses. It is also about who can afford to use powerful intelligence at scale. ✅ What may be buried AI may not eliminate experts first. It may turn them into supervisors of systems that perform the craft they once loved. The harder question is whether we can preserve human judgment and the joy of making things while embracing tools that are faster than us. 🔗 Full analysis: #DeepSeek# #CUDA# #AIInfra# #AIAgents# #FutureOfWork# #OpenSourceAI#

When you arrive at Xiangzi'ao Village, Shengsi, Zhoushan ☁️, a cloud shadow drifts down and the sea‑breeze brings refreshing coolness🌬️, inviting you to gaze at the sea at ease🌊. Walk along the Rainbow Dyke🌈 beneath the bright blue sky💙, as a yacht sails back to harbour⛵