electronics industry

The International Federation of Robotics reports the number of industrial robots operating in factories worldwide has exceeded five million. The milestone reflects steady automation adoption across manufacturing industries, driven by labor shortages, falling robot costs and rising demand for productivity. Coverage highlights the pace of robot deployment in sectors such as automotive, electronics and logistics, and what continued growth could mean for industrial employment.

China installed 59% of all industrial robots deployed worldwide in 2025, underscoring its dominance in factory automation. The figure highlights how far the country has pulled ahead of other manufacturing economies in adopting robotics, driven by large-scale investment in its electronics, automotive and general industries sectors as it pushes to offset a shrinking workforce.

The global fleet of industrial robots operating in factories has reached five million units, a milestone in the automation of manufacturing. The figure reflects years of steady adoption across industries such as automotive, electronics and logistics, with strong demand from major manufacturing economies. Observers see it as evidence of how deeply robotics has become embedded in modern production lines.

Foxconn and Alter have formed a new joint venture, Beijing Futekang, to build a mass production platform for humanoid robots. The move ties Foxconn's large-scale manufacturing capability to the fast-growing humanoid robotics sector, positioning the partners to industrialise robot assembly much as Foxconn did for consumer electronics. Industry watchers see it as a signal that humanoid robots are moving from prototypes toward volume production in China.

The worldwide stock of operational industrial robots has reached a record 5 million units, according to industry reporting. The milestone underlines the continued rapid adoption of automation in manufacturing, driven by labour shortages, falling robot costs and rising demand across automotive, electronics and logistics sectors. Analysts say the figure reflects sustained double-digit annual installations, with Asia accounting for the largest share of the installed base.

Samsung Electronics said high-bandwidth memory is expected to account for nearly 30% of the industry's DRAM production capacity next year, underscoring how demand from AI data centers is reshaping the memory market. The projection highlights the rapid shift of manufacturing capacity toward HBM, a technology used alongside AI accelerators from the likes of Nvidia, and signals intensifying competition in the segment.

Sony will not attend CES 2027, according to an Engadget report, as the company shifts its focus toward entertainment. The move marks a notable absence for one of the tech show's longtime exhibitors and signals Sony's growing emphasis on gaming, film, music and other content businesses over traditional consumer electronics showcases.

Sony is reportedly withdrawing from CES 2027, breaking an unbroken presence at the consumer electronics show that dates back to 1967. The move, reported by gadget outlet Gadget Review, would mark the first time in nearly six decades that the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant is absent from the Las Vegas event, prompting questions about its trade-show strategy.

Sony will not take part in CES 2027, with reports saying the company is shifting its priorities toward entertainment content rather than the hardware showcases the trade show is known for. The move marks a notable departure from one of the tech industry's biggest stages and fits Sony's broader emphasis on games, music, film and other media businesses.

Electronics For Imaging (EFI) and Agfa have announced an agreement to combine EFI with Agfa's Digital Printing & Solutions business, creating a global, full-service industrial inkjet company. The merger pairs EFI's digital printing platforms with Agfa's inkjet technology and consumables. Industry watchers see it as a bid to consolidate scale in industrial printing amid competitive pressure.

South Korean semiconductor startup Mobilint has announced partnerships with LG, Doosan Robotics and Daedong to supply its on-device AI chips. The deals would embed Mobilint's neural processing technology directly into products spanning consumer electronics, industrial robots and agricultural machinery, allowing AI tasks to run locally without cloud connections. The move highlights South Korea's push to build a domestic edge-AI chip industry to compete with global players.

Electronics For Imaging (EFI) and Agfa have announced a combination of EFI with Agfa's Digital Printing Solutions business, creating a larger player in industrial and digital printing technology. The deal brings together EFI's print software, inkjet and Fiery platforms with Agfa's printing systems and chemistry operations. Industry watchers are weighing the competitive impact on the digital printing market.

EU ambassadors have approved the largest sanctions package against Russia to date. The list targets a wide range of defense industry players, including shipyards, aviation companies, electronics manufacturers, armored vehicle repair facilities and aerospace firms. The package now moves forward in the EU's effort to tighten economic pressure on Moscow over the war in Ukraine.

Sber's subsidiary has been designated as the operator of the technological fee (technological sbor) in Russia. This means the company will administer the levy aimed at supporting domestic radio-electronics production. The appointment gives Sber's division a central role in collecting and managing the fee paid on electronics imports, a scheme that has drawn significant public and industry attention.

Hong Kong's Trade Development Council is organising four major technology fairs in October 2026, covering electronics, artificial intelligence, robotics, electronic components and lighting solutions. The council expects the combined exhibitions to draw a large international audience of buyers and exhibitors, reinforcing the city's role as a hub for the global electronics and innovation trade.

Semiconductor trade has climbed steadily throughout the year, with both imports and exports posting consistent gains, according to a Marketplace report. The sustained growth reflects continuing demand for chips across industries such as electronics, automotive and artificial intelligence infrastructure.

The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has developed a technology for directly coating carbon onto substrates, according to a report by DongA Science. The technique could simplify manufacturing processes that currently rely on more complex carbon deposition methods, with potential applications in electronics and energy materials.

The National Retail Federation has published a myth-versus-fact breakdown of surveillance pricing and digital shelf labels, arguing that concerns about stores using electronic price tags to charge individual customers different prices are overblown. The piece aims to counter criticism from regulators and consumer advocates as scrutiny of dynamic and personalised pricing in retail intensifies.

Trade-in activity for used smartphones and other devices has risen alongside the launch of the newest iPhone, according to industry reporting. Higher trade-in volumes are typical around Apple's fall release cycle, as consumers upgrade their phones and trade older models toward the purchase. The trend matters for the electronics recycling sector, which relies on a steady supply of used devices.

The Atlantic profiles people who go to great lengths to keep older gadgets working rather than replace them, repairing devices, hunting spare parts and resisting upgrade cycles. The piece explores why some consumers hold onto aging electronics while the tech industry pushes constant replacement, touching on repair culture, sustainability and attachment to technology.

An electronic music producer has introduced themselves online, describing their work as organic, dirty, dark and dystopian, spanning electronic dance, powernoise, industrial, techno and soundscapes. They say they lack the resources to perform or post regularly and are hoping to connect with others who share their taste for dark electronic music.

Yaskawa Motoman has introduced the MotoMini, described as the smallest and lightest six-axis industrial robot on the market. The compact robot is aimed at applications where space and payload constraints limit larger machines, and its launch was highlighted by the Association for Advancing Automation. Industry watchers see it as part of the broader push toward smaller, more flexible automation for electronics assembly and light manufacturing.

Clinical software company CRScube has acquired Mednet, a provider of electronic data capture systems for clinical trials. The deal is aimed at expanding AI-assisted data entry capabilities across CRScube's clinical trial technology platform. The move signals continued consolidation in the clinical trial software sector as vendors race to integrate artificial intelligence into trial data management workflows.

A new market report projects the global SCARA robot arms market to grow at a 7-9% compound annual rate through 2035, driven largely by electronics miniaturization. SCARA arms are widely used for high-speed assembly and pick-and-place tasks in electronics manufacturing, and demand is expected to rise as devices get smaller and production lines automate further.

The Pentagon has joined a $134 million funding round for a startup working to produce U.S.-made iron for rare-earth magnets, according to a Wall Street Journal exclusive. The investment signals a push to build a domestic supply chain for materials critical to weapons systems, electric vehicles and electronics, reducing reliance on foreign producers, particularly China.