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PCB West 2024 Reflections: Old Friends, New Friends, and The AI Design Engineering Revolution

Writer's picture: Judy WarnerJudy Warner

Last week, I made my way back to PCB West in Santa Clara after many years. Thanks to the support of three of our sponsors of The EEcosystem Podcast—Summit Interconnect, Cofactr, and Isola—I had the opportunity to connect with valued partners while also enjoying what felt like a reunion with old friends.


I hadn’t even made it through the doors of the Hyatt Regency when I ran into Gary Ferrari, a key player behind many of the standards that PCB designers rely on today. Gary’s contributions span decades as the Chairman of the Designer’s Council at IPC and as an IPC Master Instructor, where he’s mentored countless CID-certified designers. He’s also a founding board member of PCEA, which hosts PCB West, and continues to share his expertise with the community. Despite his claims of retirement, our conversation made it clear he’s just focusing on projects that keep his mind sharp. He even mentioned that he had celebrated his 80th birthday just two days earlier. It made me think about how much we owe to industry pioneers like Gary—and how lucky I am to call him a friend.


While we were catching up, I spotted Charles Pfeil walking by and jumped up to say hello. It was another happy reunion, with Charles exclaiming, “Oh my!” when he saw me. We hadn’t crossed paths in about six years, ever since he retired from Altium, where we worked together. Charles is an industry icon, and though he’s technically “retired,” he was at PCB West to deliver a keynote titled “AI Roadmap for PCB Layout: New Opportunities for PCB Designers.” He’s an accomplished PCB designer and software architect, having held key roles at Mentor Graphics and Altium. Standing between these two industry legends, I couldn’t help but reflect on their massive contributions over the years.


Shortly after, I spotted Ben Jordan, another former Altium colleague, walking over with his trademark Aussie grin. At Altium, Ben was well-known as the face and voice of the company as both PCB Designer and technical content creator. Recently, he joined the AI startup Quilter. The next day, he introduced me to Quilter’s Founder and CEO, Sergiy Nesterenko, who will soon be featured on The EEcosystem Podcast. Ben has always been a regular at PCB West, sharing insights that have helped countless designers.


As Charles stepped away, Dan Beeker from NXP came into view, and our reunion continued. He sported his signature chili-pepper bandana and a big smile. Dan’s been with NXP for 40 years and currently serves as a technical director. He’s an expert at making sure PCBs and semiconductors work together smoothly. I first met Dan through Rick Hartley, and he quickly became a regular at our AltiumLive events. He’s also a long-time presenter at PCB West. His engineering know-how was profoundly forged through his relationship with author and mentor, Ralph Morrison. Dan teaches designers Morrison's mantra that “the signal is in the space, not the trace.”




Throughout the next day and a half, it became clear that AI was the hot topic—kicked off by Charles Pfeil’s keynote on how AI could reshape PCB design. Some attendees were worried about AI taking their jobs, while others saw the potential to offload repetitive tasks and focus on more creative work. Many agreed that, with the nearly limitless design possibilities in PCB layout that impact performance, a human will always be needed in the loop.


On the expo floor, I caught up with folks from all corners of the PCB ecosystem—design, materials, supply chain, and fabrication. The most energized conversations I had were with software companies aiming to make life easier for circuit and board designers using LLMs and AI. By midday, I had a sense that I was standing at the intersection of time-tested technology and disruptive innovation. On one side were the seasoned experts I’ve known for years, and on the other, ambitious startup founders using AI to push the industry forward.







My career has always been driven by curiosity. I’ve spent years in manufacturing facilities with plating rooms, pick-and-place machines, and ESD gear. I’ve also worked with engineering teams at OEMs to solve complex challenges and worked in Marketing roles, adjacent to software developers building cutting-edge EDA tools in sleek, modern offices. These experiences, spanning more than three decades, have put me in a unique position to see the industry from all angles.


PCB West gave me the chance to reconnect with the community, learn new things, and reflect on my journey. I left with a renewed appreciation for the industry and the relationships I’ve built. It’s an exciting time as we stand on the edge of a new era—one that blends our deep technical roots with the transformative potential of AI and machine learning.


What a ride.

What a View.

I’m excited to see what’s next as we explore the possibilities of AI and redefine design engineering workflows.


Season 3 of The EEcosystem Podcast is launching soon, featuring entrepreneurs, experts, and thought leaders who are diving into AI and LLM technologies. Many of whom I talked to at PCB West, like Cofactr, Quilter, Breadboard, Zenode, Jitx, and AllSpice. Subscribe now for updates on new episodes and access to free engineering downloads and resources.






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