On July 2, during electronica China 2026, the "Global Electronic Components Supply and Demand Matchmaking Summit," co-hosted by SiliconExpert, eefocus, and Messe München (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., took place at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre. Focusing on topics such as global supply and demand shifts in electronic components, supply chain resilience, the globalization of domestic chips, green compliance, digital procurement, PCB supply chain risks, and financial empowerment, numerous enterprise representatives from the upstream and downstream segments of the electronics industry shared insights and engaged in discussions.
Unlike the recurring themes of "chip shortages," "price hikes," and "prolonged lead times" at component supply and demand forums in previous years, the signals sent by this summit are more complex and closely reflect the current genuine anxieties of the electronics industry: the challenges facing the electronic supply chain are no longer confined to how procurement departments source parts, negotiate prices, and guarantee delivery. Rather, these issues are escalating into integral components of corporate globalization, product compliance, R&D efficiency, supply security, and ecosystem competition.
To summarize the core conclusion of this summit in a single sentence: the electronic supply chain is evolving from a "transactional chain" into "strategic infrastructure." Previously, the primary objectives of the supply chain were cost, lead time, and inventory. As long as the procurement department could source parts at a sufficiently low price and ensure rapid delivery, the mission was deemed accomplished. However, following the compounding impacts of the pandemic, chip shortages, geopolitical conflicts, trade barriers, logistics disruptions, and ESG regulations, the supply chain evaluation framework has been fundamentally rewritten. Today, a mature electronic supply chain system must address not only "whether parts are available," but also "where the risks lie," "what the alternatives are," "whether data is transparent," "whether suppliers are reliable," "whether products are compliant," "whether the carbon footprint is traceable," and "whether it can support the design and procurement processes of global customers."
This indicates that the supply and demand dynamics of electronic components are undergoing structural shifts. On one hand, emerging applications such as AI data centers, automotive electronics, humanoid robots, new energy, industrial automation, and aerospace are generating new demands for components. On the other hand, end-user enterprises are steadily raising their requirements for supply chain security, green compliance, and data transparency. For Chinese component manufacturers, the competitive advantages previously built on cost, delivery speed, and responsiveness are now being re-evaluated against higher-tier globalization thresholds.
Siemens: Supply Chain Resilience is the Foundation of Business Success
As a representative of global industrial technology companies, Siemens set the first keyword for this summit through its presentation: resilience.
Sophia Shi, Regional Commodity Manager at Siemens, noted on-site that Siemens achieved €78.9 billion in revenue for fiscal year 2025, with order volumes reaching €88.4 billion and a net profit of €10.4 billion. Siemens' business spans multiple sectors, including healthcare, smart infrastructure, digital industries, and rail transport, maintaining a relatively balanced revenue distribution across Europe, the Americas, and Asia. It is precisely this globalized business structure that renders Siemens' supply chain inherently complex. With customers, product sales, and production networks spanning the globe, supply chain resilience serves as the foundation of business success for Siemens.
This insight is critical. In the past, many companies equated supply chain resilience with "emergency response capabilities during a crisis," such as quickly sourcing parts during material shortages or finding temporary alternatives when original manufacturers halt production. However, within the Siemens framework, resilience is not merely a temporary response; rather, it is a capability proactively embedded into organizational structures, data management, supplier management, and regional deployment.
According to Siemens, the current global supply chain primarily faces three categories of challenges: shifting trade environments, geopolitical risks, and availability risks. To address these challenges, Siemens' strategies include reducing dependency, enhancing data transparency, advancing multi-tier supply chain management, and promoting a localized supply chain system characterized by "local for local" and "regional for regional." Notably, the statement that "transparency is the foundation of all management" was one of the most compelling takeaways from the event.
In traditional procurement systems, many companies only manage Tier 1 suppliers. The procurement department focuses on whether Tier 1 suppliers can deliver, whether prices are reasonable, and whether quality is stable. However, issues exposed over the past few years reveal that many actual risks do not originate at the Tier 1 level but deeper within the supply chain, involving raw materials, manufacturing processes, wafers, advanced packaging, logistics, financial factors, and geopolitical elements. If companies only focus on Tier 1 suppliers, it becomes difficult to pinpoint the true sources of risk.
Consequently, Siemens is transitioning from traditional Tier 1 supplier management to comprehensive value chain management. Its focus extends beyond the suppliers themselves to include multi-tier supply chain transparency, the introduction of second sources, geopolitical risk management, material optimization and innovation, and the financial health of suppliers. Sophia Shi also highlighted that SiliconExpert collaborates with Siemens to enhance supply chain resilience through capabilities in material lifecycle management, near-EOL (End of Life) material substitution, rapid sourcing of alternative materials during crises, access to real-time market data, and spot market support.
Xinyao Project: For Domestic Chips to Go Global, They Must First Enter the Workflow of Global Engineers
While Siemens' presentation emphasized how large industrial enterprises manage supply chain resilience, the presentation by Qie Tianya, Market Expansion Manager at SiliconExpert, shifted the focus back to the currently popular topic of "the globalization of domestic chips."
Qie Tianya stated that the globalization of domestic chips is no easy feat. The challenges extend beyond mere product performance or pricing to more specific and fundamental issues: products remain unrecognized by overseas engineers, technical documentation lacks trust, they fail to make it onto candidate lists during the design-in phase, and establishing overseas distribution channels proves difficult.
This statement highlights a long-underestimated aspect of taking domestic chips global. Many companies equate globalization with participating in overseas exhibitions, building English websites, finding distributors, or running advertisements. However, in the electronic components industry, what truly determines whether a chip can enter an overseas customer's supply chain often occurs much earlier, during the R&D and component selection stages.
When designing solutions, engineers first look up component parameters, download datasheets, check footprint models, compare alternative parts, and build BOM (Bill of Materials) lists. If a domestic brand is absent at this stage, the procurement department is unlikely to proactively include it in the supplier system. In other words, the globalization of domestic chips does not begin with sales, but with the design tools, parameter searches, and BOM management on the engineers' desks.
The "Xinyao Project" initiated by SiliconExpert is precisely designed to address this upfront issue. SiliconExpert has been deeply engaged in the digitalization of the electronics industry for 20 years. Headquartered in California, USA, it has its China headquarters in Suzhou Industrial Park and more than 300 employees worldwide. Positioning itself as a pioneer in global component databases, SiliconExpert possesses a massive component database and provides underlying data support through more than 70 professional electronic websites worldwide. Following its acquisition by Siemens in 2021, SiliconExpert's data capabilities have been further integrated into the Siemens industrial ecosystem.
The underlying logic of the "Xinyao Project" can be summarized in three core objectives: to be seen, to be studied, and to be procured. "To be seen" involves helping Chinese original manufacturers digitize, internationalize, and ensure the compliance of their technical documentation, while establishing bilingual enterprise zones to bring Chinese suppliers into the view of global engineers and procurement professionals. "To be studied" means enabling domestic components to enter the evaluation lists of overseas engineers during the design-in phase through parameter searches, alternative part searches, and EDA (Electronic Design Automation) model download and creation services. "To be procured" entails integrating domestic component data as optional suppliers into broader industrial user query and usage scenarios via platforms like FindChips, procurement software tools, and relevant interfaces within the Siemens ecosystem.
Among these, the display of alternative parts is a noteworthy entry point. When overseas engineers search for popular part numbers from international original manufacturers, if domestic components appear as recommended alternatives in prominent positions, it is equivalent to placing the products directly on competitors' shelves. For the component industry, alternative part searches naturally represent a high-intent traffic scenario. Engineers typically search for alternatives because the original part numbers are expensive, have long lead times, suffer from unstable supply, or require domestic substitution and cost-reduction strategies. If domestic components can appear at this exact moment, it transcends ordinary advertising exposure and directly enters the demand scenario.
During the roundtable discussion, Qie Tianya further summarized the pain points of taking domestic chips global as "three hurdles": the digital hurdle, the trust hurdle, and the green hurdle. She noted that the traditional "old three" approaches to overseas expansion—attending exhibitions, finding distributors, and aggressively sending samples—are losing their effectiveness. The reason is not that products have deteriorated, but that the KPIs of overseas users have shifted. Previously, customers prioritized low cost and ease of use; now, they place greater emphasis on compliance, quality, and digital capabilities. Without standardized digital documentation, it is difficult to enter mainstream global engineering databases; without transparent underlying supply chain, production origin, and traceability information, it is hard to dispel overseas customers' distrust; and lacking digital compliance reports makes it difficult to meet increasingly stringent green audit requirements.
RS: ESG is Not a Slogan, Carbon Footprint is Becoming a Supply Chain Cost
The presentation by Jiang Wenhui, Head of RS China, further expanded the discussion from internal corporate supply chain management to shifts in the global business landscape.
As an international supplier with nearly a century of history, RS serves global clients including many international brands and industrial customers. Jiang Wenhui emphasized on-site that Chinese enterprises and Chinese manufacturing should not underestimate their own competitiveness. Despite the ongoing presence of tariffs, geopolitical tensions, and trade frictions, Chinese manufacturing retains distinct advantages in cost-effectiveness, automation levels, industrial supporting capabilities, and supply chain completeness. She noted that global capital continues to flow into high-tech, high-growth, and future-oriented industries. In the Chinese market, sectors such as aerospace, drones, optical modules, humanoid robots, NEVs (New Energy Vehicles), medical devices, semiconductors, and electronics are emerging as key areas of focus.
However, opportunities do not equate to a lack of barriers. Jiang Wenhui believes that the global supply chain is moving towards a diversified layout. On the procurement side, supplier portfolios must maintain a balance; companies cannot put all their eggs in one basket. Alternative plans for critical materials must be prepared in advance, and strategic reserves alongside risk management are becoming integral components of procurement logic.
Among these new barriers, ESG and carbon footprints are the most noteworthy. Jiang Wenhui cautioned that the European market's requirements for ESG, carbon footprints, low-carbon energy, and green certifications are intensifying. For Chinese enterprises aiming to go global, it is no longer sufficient to focus solely on product parameters, pricing, and delivery; they must also manage their carbon footprint from the source. For instance, selecting industrial parks powered by green electricity, utilizing materials that meet certification requirements, and improving green management records during production can all impact an enterprise's ability to enter overseas supply chain systems.
During the roundtable forum, Zhang Yu, SaaS Pre-Sales Consultant at SiliconExpert, also pointed out that the most easily overlooked hidden cost in green compliance centers on "carbon." Many companies simplistically equate ESG with energy and electricity conservation. In reality, carbon footprint calculations are being transmitted layer by layer through customers and supply chains into the electronics industry. Citing the automotive supply chain as an example, he noted that segments such as BMS (Battery Management System), BMU (Battery Management Unit), PCBA (Printed Circuit Board Assembly), and PCB (Printed Circuit Board) are not inherently exempt from carbon regulations simply because they do not belong to traditional high-carbon industries. When terminal automakers or Tier 1 suppliers require certifiable, traceable carbon data, electronic component and module suppliers need the capabilities to calculate and disclose such data.
The implication for Chinese electronic enterprises is direct: carbon footprints are no longer solely a concern for European regulations or terminal brands; they will be transmitted upstream along the supply chain. Previously, the core costs for enterprises going global included tariffs, certifications, channel development, and logistics. In the future, carbon calculation, data traceability, green material selection, digital product passports, and compliance reporting may all emerge as new hidden costs.
Yunhan Xincheng: Digital Procurement is Moving from Tools to a "Procurement Hub"
Ma Jun from Yunhan Xincheng believes that the evolution of the electronic component supply chain is essentially a historical progression from offline to online, from traditional distribution to digitalization, and ultimately to intelligence.
In the traditional component transaction model, there is multi-tiered circulation among suppliers, distributors, sub-tier terminals, and medium-to-large customers, resulting in high communication and trial-and-error costs. For R&D customers, technology enterprises, and small-to-medium batch manufacturing clients, this model struggles to meet the demands for rapid component selection, flexible procurement, and agile development.
Yunhan Xincheng notes that digitalization is not viable for every procurement scenario. However, in scenarios such as prototype design, sample manufacturing, spot procurement, and small-to-medium batch manufacturing, the value of digital platforms is most pronounced. The procurement characteristics of these scenarios can be summarized as "small, scattered, temporary, and urgent": dispersed part numbers, small batch sizes, unstable demand, and short response times. Traditional supply chains struggle to adapt efficiently, whereas digital platforms can enhance efficiency through data integration, inventory management, pricing transparency, alternative part identification, and fulfillment capabilities.
Yunhan Xincheng is a platform enterprise that integrates digitalization with electronics industry supply chain services. It provides one-stop digital supply chain services ranging from electronic component supply and product technical solution development to PCBA production, primarily serving technology enterprises with needs in R&D and small-to-medium batch procurement. Its platform boasts 780,000 registered customers, serving over 180,000 enterprise clients, backed by 2,500 high-quality suppliers.
Centering on customer needs, Yunhan Xincheng distills the core demands of digital procurement into three points: supply chain resilience and security, transparent compliance, and support for product innovation. Based on these needs, Yunhan Xincheng launched "Xinjingcai," a dedicated internal procurement marketplace for component manufacturers. It connects to customer ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and SRM (Supplier Relationship Management) systems via SaaS or API, fulfilling business scenarios such as sourcing and price comparison, alternative selection, and procurement approval. The platform ensures traceability for processes like requisition, approval, and ordering through a multi-tier account system. It also helps designers and procurement personnel improve efficiency using tools such as a domestic substitution search engine, historical price trend queries, and intelligent BOM kitting.
Even more noteworthy is Yunhan Xincheng's significant investment in AI. At the application level, the company has successively launched a suite of AI tools, including the "Xinlingtong" intelligent customer service, an electronic component search skill, and an AI procurement assistant, significantly enhancing the customer experience. Simultaneously, in core scenarios such as intelligent Q&A, smart inventory preparation, part recommendation, domestic substitution, and risk early warning, it continuously drives improvements in business quality and efficiency.
This signifies that, driven by AI, the digitalization of component procurement is entering a new phase. The first phase involved moving offline transactions online to resolve information opacity and transaction efficiency issues. The second phase focused on establishing data middle platforms, price trend analysis, alternative part engines, and process approvals to address transparent compliance and collaboration. The third phase is upgrading the procurement system from a mere information tool to a decision-making hub through AI and automation.
Education Hardware Going Global: From Open-Source Hardware to "Mass-Producible, Implementable, and After-Sales Supportable"
Xia Qing, Senior Engineer at Shanghai Zhiwei Robot Co., Ltd. and Co-Founder of the Mushroom Cloud Maker Space, delivered a presentation themed "Education Hardware Going Global: Chinese Technological Innovation and Global Market Opportunities."
Xia Qing pointed out that global demand for STEAM and AI educational hardware is surging. As countries place greater emphasis on cultivating scientific and technological talent, education is shifting away from rote learning toward enabling students to solve real-world problems using physical hardware, thereby understanding science, engineering, and technology through hands-on practice. However, the traditional open-source hardware market exhibits clear pain points: complex SKUs, development boards designed for engineers rather than students, inconsistent quality control, convoluted documentation systems, and high barriers to classroom implementation.
He provided a small yet typical example: if a Dupont wire suffers from unstable quality, it can cause intermittent connections in the classroom, forcing teachers and students to spend excessive time troubleshooting rather than focusing on coding, creativity, and project implementation. This detail illustrates that in the educational hardware scenario, supply chain capabilities are reflected not only in cost and delivery but also in standardization, reliability, and the overall classroom experience.
Xia Qing summarized the capabilities truly required by overseas educational hardware customers as being "mass-producible, implementable, and capable of after-sales support." This is not a mere slogan but requires systematic capabilities in quality control, inventory management, production organization, after-sales service, and localized support. He noted that overseas customers may place large orders at once, compelling enterprises to transition from "small workshop-style custom production" to a scalable and replicable supply chain system.
Regarding technological innovation, Xia Qing also emphasized the necessity of keeping core technologies in-house, including core chips, core algorithms, key patents, and supply chain control. His team was once impacted by the Raspberry Pi shortage, which made them realize that if the core computing platform relies on external supply, any upstream shortages would directly affect educational kits and end products. Consequently, mitigating supply risks through in-house R&D and the application of domestic chips has become a crucial lesson for taking educational hardware global.
PCB Supply Chain: AI Demand is Transmitting Pressure to the Material End
The presentation by Zhang Jianbo, Quality and Technology Manager at NCAB Group, further advanced the supply chain discussion to PCB, a foundational segment of electronic manufacturing.
In his presentation themed "From Shortage to Resilience: 2026 PCB Supply Chain Status and Corporate Response Strategies," Zhang Jianbo pointed out that the explosion in AI computing power is transmitting pressure to PCBs and upstream materials layer by layer through the supply chain. A minor fluctuation on the demand side, once amplified across various supply chain nodes, can trigger results akin to the "bullwhip effect" or "butterfly effect." Particularly against the backdrop of material shortages and prolonged lead times, actual demand and the supply chain's inherent volatility intertwine, easily leading to supply and demand mismatches.
The pressure on the PCB supply chain originates first from upstream materials. High-performance PCBs require low-loss materials such as resin, glass fiber cloth, copper foil, and PPE/PPO, along with processing consumables like drill bits. The rising demand for AI servers, high-speed communication, and high-layer boards is placing immense strain on high-end glass fiber cloth, low-profile copper foil, high-performance laminates, and drilling consumables. Zhang Jianbo noted that driven by AI demand, the growth rate of demand for high-end glass fiber cloth consistently outpaces supply. Since it takes time for upstream material manufacturers to expand production, these specific shortages are expected to persist for the next 18 to 24 months.
Regarding the timeline, Zhang Jianbo predicted that the shortage could reach its most critical phase in the second half of 2026, with some relief expected in the first half of 2027. However, the full release of certain capacities may not occur until the second half of 2027 or even 2028. This indicates that the tension in the PCB supply chain is not merely a short-term price fluctuation, but a cyclical pressure driven by AI demand, material capacity constraints, product structure upgrades, and supply chain expectations.
Different types of PCBs face varying risks. Standard multi-layer boards may face shortages of thick core laminates, as these consume more glass fiber and resin, and material manufacturers prefer to prioritize the production of high-value-added products. High-layer boards rely more heavily on thin prepreg (PP), low-loss materials, and allocations from key customers. Although thick copper boards appear relatively secure, they are still affected by the availability of core laminates, PP, and processing capacity. High-speed and high-frequency boards face constraints related to ultra-low profile copper foil, high-performance resins, and increased processing difficulty.
Zhang Jianbo's proposed response strategies include locking in allocations, establishing strategic collaborations with material manufacturers, evaluating alternative materials, re-matching stackup impedance, and dispersing risks through global supply chain deployment. He specifically emphasized that alternative materials do not mean "downgrading," but rather verified, compliant choices of equivalent efficacy. For highly customized products like PCBs, both supply and demand sides must communicate thoroughly to strike a balance among lead time, cost, performance, and reliability.
XQ-ECO2 and Siemens Financial Services: Green Compliance and Financial Service Capabilities Become Infrastructure for Going Global
Zhang Yu, SaaS Pre-Sales Consultant at SiliconExpert, further elaborated on the topic "From Selection to Green Compliance: Building Green Supply Chain Management with XQ and XQ-ECO2." This subject forms a closed loop with the earlier discussion on ESG and carbon footprints by RS.
Zhang Yu introduced that XQ-ECO2 is geared towards green compliance, focusing on resolving green supply chain resilience issues during the globalization process of enterprises. Its logic spans from component selection, risk identification, and procurement strategy to green compliance data management, helping enterprises transition their carbon footprint tracking, supply chain disclosure, and product compliance from manual spreadsheet management to visualized, calculable, and traceable systematic capabilities.
He specifically highlighted requirements such as the EU's new Battery Regulation, digital product passports, and carbon footprint declarations. For supply chain segments including batteries, energy storage, BMS, BMU, PCBA, and PCB, future products must not only be producible and marketable but also possess a fully traceable data chain. Behind a single QR code may lie comprehensive information encompassing product origin, material composition, carbon emissions, distribution pathways, and end-of-life recycling.
This signifies that green compliance is shifting from "corporate social responsibility" to a prerequisite for "product market access." In the future, overseas customers will evaluate not only performance, pricing, and delivery but also whether an enterprise can provide carbon emission data, green material certifications, and supply chain compliance reports. For Chinese electronic enterprises, integrating this data into product and supply chain management as early as possible will significantly reduce their vulnerability in global competition.
Chen Chen, Strategic Director of Commercial Finance China at Siemens Financial Services (SFS), addressed another shortcoming in corporate globalization from a financial perspective. She pointed out that going global today is no longer as simple as buying a plane ticket and relocating a domestic production line abroad; it is a systematic engineering effort. For enterprises to truly go global and succeed, they require localized operations, compliance management, talent management, customer networks, and financial support. Chen Chen noted that SFS operates localized teams in over 60 countries and regions, holds local licensed institution status, is well-versed in local policies, regulations, and business practices, and has accumulated profound regional resources. In China, SFS has been established for over 20 years, supporting the transformation and upgrading of diverse local industries through financial leasing and commercial factoring services. She emphasized that finance is not merely about capital; it encompasses compliance, efficiency, and risk management. For enterprises expanding overseas, the right financial partners can not only resolve issues related to equipment procurement, cash flow, and collection cycles but also help them navigate local regulations and subsidy policies, matching them with financial service solutions best suited for their destination markets.
Conclusion: Supply Chain Becomes a Front-Office Capability in Globalization Competition
Looking at the summit as a whole, the electronics industry supply chain is forming several clear main threads.
First, resilience has become a foundational capability. Whether it is the multi-tier supply chain transparency, second sourcing, and regional management emphasized by Siemens, or the PCB material substitution, allocation locking, and global supply chain deployment highlighted by NCAB, they are essentially addressing the same issue: how enterprises can ensure supply chain continuity when uncertainty becomes the norm.
Second, the globalization of domestic chips has entered the "data pathway" stage. Previously, Chinese manufacturers focused more on product performance, pricing, and channel development. However, the true barriers in overseas markets often lie in engineer selection, design-in processes, BOM management, and procurement systems. The "to be seen, to be studied, and to be procured" philosophy emphasized by SiliconExpert's "Xinyao Project" is precisely an attempt to integrate domestic components into overseas R&D and procurement workflows.
Third, green compliance is becoming a prerequisite for supply chain access. The presentations by RS, the roundtable discussion, and XQ-ECO2 all point to the same trend: requirements such as ESG, carbon footprints, the new Battery Regulation, and digital product passports are progressively transmitting from terminal brands upstream. For electronics enterprises, carbon data is no longer an optional add-on but may become a mandatory requirement for entering the global supply chain.
Fourth, AI is redefining the boundaries of procurement systems. Component procurement was traditionally an experience-driven, communication-intensive task. In the future, it will rely increasingly on data middle platforms, alternative part engines, price trend analysis, intelligent selection, and automated fulfillment. Procurement departments will not disappear, but the working methods of procurement personnel will evolve: shifting from sourcing, price comparison, and order expediting to managing strategies, risks, compliance, and supplier ecosystems.
Fifth, globalization requires ecosystem support. The globalization of educational hardware demonstrates that end-product enterprises must be mass-producible, implementable, and capable of after-sales support. The PCB supply chain illustrates that underlying materials and manufacturing capabilities directly impact the delivery of complete machines. Meanwhile, Siemens Financial Services reminds enterprises that overseas expansion also necessitates financial, compliance, and localized operational support.
For China's electronics industry, this "Global Electronic Components Supply and Demand Matchmaking Summit" demonstrates that the supply chain is no longer merely a back-office function but a front-line competitive advantage. Over the past decade, the keywords for China's electronics industry were domestic substitution, cost advantage, and supply chain completeness. In the coming decade, the keywords will likely shift to data entry points, ecosystem synergy, green compliance, financial support, and global trust. Those who can seamlessly integrate products, data, supply chains, and compliance systems will be best positioned to take the initiative in the next round of global electronics supply chain restructuring.