First Pan-European Electronics Design Conference (PEDC) in Vienna Inspires Participants from 20 Countries

The first Pan-European Electronics Design Conference (PEDC) in Vienna was a great success The new international conference, organized by Fachverband Elektronikdesign und -fertigung e. V. (FED) and IPC, brought together experts and industry representatives from 20 countries and four continents. The aim of the PEDC was to create a new European platform for the exchange of information on current developments and trends in electronics design.

Opening and technical program at the highest level

Dieter Müller, chairman of FED, and Matt Kelly, IPC CTO and vice president, technology solutions, opened the event and emphasized the relevance of the conference for the European electronics industry. “PEDC offers a unique opportunity to discuss current topics such as the role of artificial intelligence in electronics design, as well as the challenges and opportunities in the area of sustainability. We are proud to establish PEDC as a platform for the international exchange of knowledge in the electronics industry – and especially for designers,” said Müller. 

“With all of the rapid changes occurring in semiconductor chiplet architectures and component level packaging, it’s extremely important to drive a chip-to-package-to-system co-design approach to enable next generation electronic systems and products. The PEDC conference, with its focus on AI integration, new design flows, and tools was an important step to bring together OEMs, suppliers, and academia to collaborate and share their knowledge. The platform helped the supply chain to drive next generation design practices and expertise within Europe and across the globe,” summarized Kelly.

Exciting technical program and lively discussions

The keynotes from Prof. Thomas Ebel from the University of Southern Denmark and Lukas Henkel, OV Technologies, provided important impetus: while Ebel highlighted the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the development of passive components, Henkel presented the development of an open-source smartwatch. Afterwards, a panel discussion moderated by Alexander Gerfer, Würth Elektronik, addressed the topic of AI in electronics design. A second panel – moderated by Didrik Bech, Altium, – had a lively discussion about how the life cycle of electronic products can be made sustainable.

Accompanying exhibition and networking

At the accompanying exhibition, 13 companies presented their products related to electronics design. Participants made intensive use of the breaks to exchange ideas about new technologies and make valuable contacts. At a networking reception, participants were able to make new contacts and deepen existing ones in a relaxed atmosphere.

Strong momentum for the future

After two intensive days full of discussions and high-level presentations, the PEDC draws a positive conclusion. The conference has shown that AI has the potential to revolutionize electronics design and that sustainability in the electronics industry will become increasingly important to us. The first PEDC has impressively demonstrated that there is a need for a pan-European exchange format in Europe. The collaboration between IPC and FED proved to be a complete success.

“Without the commitment of our speakers, the organizing team, the program committee members and our sponsors, this success would not have been possible,” concluded Peter Tranitz, senior director of solutions, IPC.