SEMI Americas and Semiconductor Digest have revealed the finalists for the 2026 Best of West Award, an annual recognition programme highlighting innovative products and services that advance the electronics manufacturing supply chain. The winner will be announced on 15 October on the Smart Theater stage in the North Expo Hall at SEMICON West 2026.
The three finalists represent notably different technology segments within semiconductor and electronics manufacturing equipment. Edwards, part of the Atlas Copco Group, is nominated for its Ganymede Dry Pump — a next-generation dry vacuum pump targeting demanding semiconductor process environments. The company positions Ganymede as setting new benchmarks in productivity, operational efficiency, reliability and sustainability for harsh process conditions. Dry pump technology is a critical infrastructure component in front-end semiconductor fabrication, and vacuum performance directly influences process yield and throughput.
Nordson Test & Inspection enters with the SonoFlex Acoustic System, an automated inspection tool aimed at panel-based assemblies. According to Nordson, SonoFlex scans at twice the speed of legacy acoustic microscopy systems through advanced pulser and transducer technology, and inspects panels across the widest frequency range yet achieved in a production environment. Acoustic microscopy inspection is increasingly relevant in advanced packaging contexts — including fan-out wafer-level packaging and 2.5D/3D integration — where delamination and void detection in thin panel formats is a known quality challenge. European contract manufacturers and OSAT operations investing in advanced packaging lines will recognise the throughput pressure that motivates such development.
The third finalist, Siemens Industry, is nominated for the Eigen Engineering Agent, which applies purpose-built artificial intelligence to industrial engineering workflows. Operating alongside the Siemens TIA Portal automation platform, the tool generates and validates PLC code, hardware configuration and HMI screens from plain-language input. Siemens claims 2–5x faster execution and up to 80% higher solution quality compared with conventional engineering approaches. For European electronics manufacturers navigating skilled-labour shortages and increasing automation complexity on SMT and semiconductor packaging lines, AI-assisted PLC engineering represents a practically relevant development direction.
The Best of West Award has historically served as a visible barometer of innovation priorities within the semiconductor equipment and materials sector. The 2026 shortlist reflects concurrent industry pressures: the need for more efficient fab infrastructure, faster and more sensitive inspection at advanced packaging node, and productivity gains through AI-augmented engineering. European manufacturers and equipment suppliers monitoring technology trends from leading-edge semiconductor fabrication — many of which eventually migrate into high-reliability electronics assembly and packaging — will find the nominated technologies indicative of where process capability investment is being directed.
Quelle: SEMICON Europa – https://www.semi.org/en/semi-press-release/semi-and-semiconductor-digest-announce-2026-best-of-west-award-finalists
