Featured Articles
  • Three Companies, One Mission: Reduce Plastics in Electronic Connectors

    The search for a regenerative bioplastic is on! Connector companies partner with a biomaterial specialist to find a viable alternative to petroleum-based plastics for the electronics industry and beyond. Connector manufacturers Harwin and Nicomatic have teamed up with biomaterial innovation specialist The New Materialist to develop bio-based alternatives to petrochemical plastics. Their mission, the NivoraRead More

  • XPO, Addressing the I/O Panel Bottleneck

    Introduced at OFC 2026, the new XPO pluggable modules provide a solution to the challenges of signal density, thermal management, field serviceability, and power efficiency. Continuing advances in artificial intelligence face multiple constraints including power consumption, access to memory, thermal management, and limitations of copper connectivity. Solving these challenges could still result in hobbled systemsRead More

Technology

New Network Architectures: Cloud and Fog Computing on the Edge

As the global volume of internet data increases, relying on the cloud for computing resources poses challenges. Edge and fog computing architectures offer alternatives.  The concept of sharing information technology (IT) resources via a network of linked devices has experienced incredible growth since the early 2000s. Instead of investing in local computing and storage equipment,Read More

5G Infrastructure Depends on a New Generation of Antennas — and Old Ones

5G specifications are being implemented with the latest connectivity hardware, including advanced antenna systems, as well as ongoing investments in 4G infrastructure. The fifth generation of cellular network technology, 5G, continues its advance. In addition to providing massive service improvement, it will forever change hardware and connectivity trends from the cell station antenna through toRead More

Strategic Connector Selection Can Reduce Power Use and Energy Costs in Data Centers

Smart component selection can help create cooler, more efficient data center architectures that save money and resources. The vast amount of energy consumed by data centers is a growing business, security, and environmental risk. Pre-pandemic estimates suggested that data centers would consume 20% of the world’s energy by 2025, but that figure will surely requireRead More

Five Factors to Consider When Selecting Rugged Fiber Optic Connectivity Solutions

Rugged fiber optic connectors are available in a range of sizes, form factors, densities, termini, cabling options, and more. Evaluate your project goals and operating environment to narrow down the field. 1. Understand Your Target and the Technology Tradeoffs Needed to Hit It  As with any project involving electronics, the kinds of components selected dependRead More

2020 Data Connectivity eBook

In our new 2020 Data Connectivity eBook, more than 25 connector suppliers with proven experience developing and deploying high-speed, high-bandwidth, and high-signal-integrity components share their unique perspectives on the best products and practices for solving today’s challenges and supporting tomorrow’s scalability. Data is the lifeblood of our digital age. Few things were left undigitized atRead More

Waterproof Connectors Can Survive a Splash or the Sea

Demand for waterproof connectors is large and growing, driven by undersea exploration and data transmission, as well as by the demand for connectivity in harsh environments. Waterproof connectors are seeing exponential demand in applications that range from consumer devices to oil and gas exploration to outdoor and marine technologies that have high exposure to varyingRead More

M12 Connector Types, Uses & Applications

Rugged and durable M12 connectors have a long history, but connected industrial technologies have inspired new modifications, improvements, and utility. Although M12 connectors have been in widespread use for decades — long before the Internet of Industrial Things (IIoT) or Industry 4.0 was even a concept — they have recently become the preferred connector for IndustrialRead More

Hannover at Home: Connector Companies Showcase New Industrial Technologies

When COVID-19 shut down Hannover Messe, connector companies took advantage of digital platforms to introduce the industry to their latest industrial innovations. COVID-10 may have cancelled HANNOVER MESSE 2020, but the show goes on as companies with heavy-duty and harsh-environment connectors employ creative ways to get the word out. Industrial technologies are in a pivotal pointRead More

Commercial Connectors Toughen Up for the Harshest Environments in the Universe

As priorities for deep-space applications change, demand is increasing for low-cost, commercial off-the-shelf connectors that can endure the rigors of space. Deep-space exploration keeps bringing us new information about the sun, the moon, and the planets. For example, data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter recently helped researchers determine that the Moon isn’t dead because itRead More

Testing Microwave Coaxial Cable Assemblies for Deep Space Missions

A comprehensive test regimen can help determine the suitability of microwave coaxial cable assemblies for the final frontier. By Aidan Doran, Senior Product Manager, Space, and John Lewis, Director of Product Management, Defense and Space, Carlisle Interconnect Technologies test Reliability can be defined as performance over time, and in deep-space applications, nothing is more importantRead More

CIMON Says: Design Lessons from a Robot Assistant in Space

Designing a service bot to function in microgravity is a unique challenge. Engineers at Airbus developed an autonomous robot assistant for the International Space Station using commercially available interconnects. By Traci Browne and Paul Golata for Mouser Electronics robot Of the more than 225 visitors to the International Space Station (ISS) in the past 20Read More

2026 World Connector Market Handbook 2025-2031F
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