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AI Server Applications

Enabling PCBs for High-Performance Computing (HPC)

AI applications are driving a new generation of server hardware, built on highly complex, densely populated PCBs with large, high‑value components such as GPUs and TPUs.

This shift is fundamentally changing SMT production. Larger boards, higher component density, and zero‑defect requirements demand full process control across every stage of assembly.

ASMPT addresses these challenges with integrated SMT solutions specifically designed for AI and high‑performance computing (HPC) production.

Download technical overview (PDF)

 

Best in-machine solution for HPC SMT production

Placement
machines

SIPLACE

SIPLACE SX Placement Machine
Placement
heads

CP20 for highest speed

SIPLACE CP20 Placement Head - for highest speed

CPP for maximum flexibility

SIPLACE CPP Placement Head - for maximum flexibility

TWIN VHF for large & heavy component handling

SIPLACE TWIN VHF Placement Head - for large and heavy component handling
Component feeding options

SIPLACE Waffle
Pack Changer

SIPLACE Waffle Pack Changer


SIPLACE Smart Feeder

SIPLACE Smart Feeder
PCB transport &
pin support

Heavy‑duty conveyor

Heavy duty conveyor for PCB transport





Smart Pin Support

Smart Pin PCB Support
Programming
system

WORKS Programming
with virtual product build

WORKS Programming - with virtual product build ability





Component shape based
on data import

Program component shape based on data import
Vision
system

Cameras:

  • Component camera
  • Stationary camera
  • PCB camera
  • Coplanarity camera
SIPLACE Cameras


In‑machine
inspection capability

In machine inspection capability

Requirements for the assembly of AI and High‑Performance Computing electronics

An error‑free assembly process requires precise control across all process steps.
SIPLACE Placement machines are designed to meet exactly these requirements with a fully controlled process from pick to place.

Process Chain for HPC SMT production

Establish an error‑free assembly process based on proven technology.
Programming

The large number of tiny components and complex BGA connections pose a challenge for the creation of placement programs.

Feeding options

Smart component feeders and tray units need to ensure reliable material supply.

Quality control

Inspection capability in placement machine to verify solder balls, spacer position, foreign objects and coplanarity or warpage.

Conveyor system

Extra large circuit boards must be transported, supported and held securely.

Placement heads

Both the placement of thousands of miniaturized components and the placement of very large and heavy BGAs must be performed without error.

Select a process step above to view the detailed solution.

Programming complex, densely populated boards

Establishing an error-free assembly process starts with programming.
PROGRAMMING AND SIMULATION

Describing a complex layout

For today’s processor BGAs in AI applications, several thousand balls are standard. Future generations will include components with more than 20,000 balls in an irregular pattern. The description of the package is a challenging task.

The WORKS Software Suite offers:

  • Process-oriented offline programming
  • Centralized management of programming data
  • Offline simulation with virtual production steps
  • ODB++ import
  • Ball description import
  • 3D visualization (top and bottom) for easy pin support programming
3D view of the PCB bottom side for defining support pin positions in WORKS Programming
3D view of the PCB bottom side for defining support pin positions in WORKS Programming
PCB view in the WORKS Programming GUI
PCB view in the WORKS Programming GUI
Import of ball position data at the station or offline station
Import of ball position data at the station or offline station
Back to process chain

Handling capabilities for large, heavy and thick PCBs

SIPLACE solutions enable reliable handling of big circuit boards throughout the entire process.
PCB TRANSPORT

Heavy-duty conveyors

SIPLACE placement machines are already equipped with flexible transport options for handling exceptionally large, heavy and thick PCBs.

  • Weight up to 10 kg
  • Size up to 1,520 × 560 mm
  • Thickness up to 10 mm
  • Programmable speed
Heavy-duty conveyor system for reliable transport and straight PCB positioning
Heavy-duty conveyor system for reliable transport and consistent, straight PCB positioning
Automatic placement of support pins with continuous position monitoring
Automatic placement of support pins with continuous position monitoring
PCB SUPPORT

Automatic Smart Pin Support

To prevent bending and vibration, PCBs must be reliably supported during the assembly process. SIPLACE Smart Pin Support provides a faster and significantly more reliable solution compared to manual methods.

Features:

  • Pins are automatically and precisely positioned based on the definitions in WORKS Programming
  • 3D visualization enables early detection and prevention of collisions with sensitive components during the programming phase
  • All pins are continuously monitored for correct position and height
Back to process chain

Feeding all kinds of components

Placing components ranging from miniature passive SMDs, such as 016008M chips, to large, heavy BGAs requires intelligent feeding solutions.
VIA TAPE AND REEL

SIPLACE Smart Feeder

SIPLACE Smart Feeder are intelligent tape feeder modules designed for flexible production environments.

  • Contactless data and power transmission
  • Maintenance-free tape feeding modules
  • Automatic calibration of pickup position
  • Automatic pickup offset compensation
  • Automatic splice detection
  • Automatic pitch learning
  • Unique ID for reliable setup verification
  • 1 mm pitch capability
SIPLACE Smart Feeder SIPLACE Smart Feeder (detail)
SIPLACE Smart Feeder are accurate, intelligent, lightweight, wireless, and maintenance-free.
VIA TRAY

SIPLACE Waffle Pack Changer (WPC)

For feeding large, odd-shaped components, the SIPLACE Waffle Pack Changer (WPC) is an efficient solution.

Features of the tray unit WPC:

  • Automatic and fast tray exchange
  • Non-stop refill of component trays
  • Full setup verification and traceability
SIPLACE Waffle Pack Changer
SIPLACE Waffle Pack Changer enables non-stop feeding of tray-based components in a compact, space-saving design.
Waffle Pack Changer (illustration) Waffle Pack Changer (detail)
SIPLACE WAFFLE PACK CHANGER
SpecificationCapability
Required feeder tracks30
Dimensions of waffle pack tray carrier (L×W×H)360 × 260 × 6 mm
Dimensions of waffle pack tray (L×W×H)347 × 235 × 15 mm
Storage capacityUp to 28 tray carriers
Height of waffle pack tray including componentUp to 45 mm
Tray changeover time~1.9 s (over 1 level)
Back to process chain

High-speed placement of standard components

ASMPT’s placement heads play a key role in the outstanding performance and flexibility for standard component placement.

SIPLACE placement heads offer maximum accuracy and advanced process control features:

  • Component presence/absence check
  • Pickup offset compensation before pickup
  • Nozzle tip contamination inspection
  • Component height measurement
  • Software-controlled and programmable placement process, including force control
High-speed placement of standard components
MAXIMUM SPEED

Placement Head CP20

The Placement Head CP20 is the ideal collect-and-place head for high-speed placement of standard components at the beginning of an SMT line.

  • Rotary head with 20 independent segments enables offset correction and placement at all required angles
  • Component-specific vision parameters enable high-density placement at any placement angle within a single head cycle
  • Very high-speed placement of components from 016008M up to 8.2 × 8.2 mm
  • Precise monitoring of Z-axis movement for warpage compensation
Placement Head CP20
MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY

Placement Head CPP

The Placement Head CPP switches between three different placement modes in response to software commands.

  • High speed and a wide component range combined in one placement head enable optimal line balancing and bottleneck elimination
  • Placement of components in collect-and-place, pick-and-place, and mixed mode
  • Placement of components up to 27 × 27 mm in collect-and-place mode
  • Placement of components up to 40 × 50 mm in pick-and-place mode with the same head
Placement Head CPP
Back to process chain

Verification of components after placement

Before placing high-value BGAs, the presence and placement accuracy of components underneath must be verified.
IN-MACHINE QUALITY CONTROL

Visual inspection

SIPLACE placement machines are equipped with (high-performance) PCB cameras, which can be used to inspect already placed components.

Possible inspection checks:

  • Check for component presence/absence
  • Check for component placement position within specified tolerances

Possible inspection locations:

  • In the placement machine directly after placement
  • In the placement machine further down the line before placing additional components

Use case for HPC applications:

  • Typically, spacers (thin discs) are placed underneath the BGA
  • Prevents solder bridging: maintains minimum height under components to avoid shorts caused by warped BGA corners
  • Spacers are inspected after placement for presence and correct position
  • Placement of the BGA is enabled only after successful verification
Microscope picture of BGA after reflow with solder balls and spacer
Microscope picture of BGA after reflow with solder balls and spacer
No non-collapsing spacer
Reason for spacer placement (no non-collapsing spacer)
Reason for spacer placement
Placement of non-collapsing spacer
Placement of non-collapsing spacer
Back to process chain

Detection of foreign objects in the placement area

Tens of thousands of solder balls with diameters of 0.5 to 0.6 mm and pitch values ranging from 0.8 to 1.0 mm make BGA placement a critical process. It is essential to ensure that no foreign objects are present in this area.
DETECTING FOREIGN OBJECTS

Avoiding defects

SIPLACE placement machines feature high-resolution inspection for maximum reliability.

  • Inspection with the PCB camera before component placement in predefined areas, e.g. under shields or BGAs
  • Immediately before placing critical components, the system checks that no foreign objects are present in the target placement position
  • On-demand inspection capability
  • Inspection area of up to 175 × 175 mm
  • Software option: On-Board PCB Inspection
3D image of On-Board PCB Inspection
3D image of On-Board PCB Inspection
Detection of foreign objects with On-Board PCB Inspection
Detection of foreign objects with On-Board PCB Inspection
On-Board PCB Inspection for foreign object detection
On-Board PCB Inspection for foreign object detection
On-Board PCB Inspection in placement machine
Back to process chain

Secure handling of large and high-value BGAs

The pickup and placement of the BGA is the final step in the assembly of HPC server boards. A combination of a high-performance placement head, specialized nozzles, and precise process control ensures reliable results.
BGA MASTERING

Placement Head TWIN VHF

The Placement Head TWIN VHF (Very High Force) is designed for particularly large and unusually shaped components.

  • Placement of components up to 175 × 175 mm
  • Placement of components with a weight up to 650 g
  • Individual control and programming of all axes
  • A wide range of special nozzles and grippers for nearly any component shape
  • Keep-out areas (e.g. on top of processor units) are considered during nozzle design
Illustration of next-generation AI accelerator (combining one CPU and two GPUs)
Illustration of next-generation AI accelerator (combining one CPU and two GPUs) © NVIDIA
Placement Head TWIN VHF
The Placement Head TWIN VHF opens up new possibilities in the assembly of complex BGAs
Special nozzle for pickup on the outer ring only
Special nozzle for pickup on the outer ring only
Illustration of a co-packaged optics (CPO) component for high-speed switches
Illustration of a co-packaged optics (CPO) component for high-speed switches
Back to process chain

Ensure reliable solder paste connection for High‑Density BGAs

Between pickup and placement of the BGA, vision-based inspections ensure an error-free final process stage.
VISUAL INSPECTION

Inspection of BGA

Visual inspection has become even more important with the new generation of BGAs.

SIPLACE high‑resolution cameras provide all required inspection capabilities for complex components.

Six illumination angles combined with feature‑based algorithms ensure reliable and repeatable inspection results.

  • Reliable vision detection of 50,000+ solder balls
  • Potential vision checks:
    • Missing or defective connections
    • Incorrect ball size
    • Incorrect ball position
    • Landside capacitors
    • Barcode / Data Matrix code reading
    • Verification of orientation marks
  • Measurement data and camera images can be saved and analyzed
BGA with high amount of balls and landside capacitors
BGA with high amount of balls and landside capacitors
COMPONENT CAMERA TYPE 56
SpecificationCapability
Field of View66 × 50 mm
Min. component size0.2 × 0.2 mm
Max. component size200 × 200 mm
Min. lead pitch200 / 300 µm
Min. lead width100 µm
Min. ball pitch140 / 300 µm
Min. ball diameter80 µm
COPLANARITY INSPECTION

All connections must be within reach

The 3D Coplan Module ensures that all connections come into contact with the solder paste.

Measurement principle:

  • Height profile measurement using laser triangulation
  • Calculation of the seating plane
  • Verification that all connections can be in contact with the solder paste
  • Inspection of 50,000+ solder balls
3D COPLAN MODULE
SpecificationCapability
Component sizeUp to 200 × 200 mm
Height resolution0.5 µm
Min. lead pitch300 µm
Min. lead width100 µm
Min. ball pitch400 µm
Min. ball diameter200 µm
Result of 3D coplanarity measurement displayed at the station
Result of 3D coplanarity measurement displayed at the station
3D coplanarity measurement of BGA in SIPLACE placement machine
3D coplanarity measurement of BGA in SIPLACE placement machine
Measurement principle: laser triangulation
Measurement principle: laser triangulation
Back to process chain

SIPLACE solutions for HPC manufacturing

Typical machine specification in a line for high performance computing

SIPLACE SX

High-performance platform for demanding SMT production with advanced process control and scalable configurations.

  • Designed for high throughput and precision
  • Flexible configuration options for line balancing
  • Process control features supporting complex assemblies
SIPLACE SX
SIPLACE SX PLACEMENT MACHINE
Specification SIPLACE SX2
Placement head CP20 / CPP / TWIN / TWIN VHF
Component size max.1 175 × 175 mm
Component weight2 up to 650 g
Feeder capacity 120 × 8 mm feeder
Tray Supply Waffle Pack Changer non-stop refill
PCB size (L×W×H) 1,525 × 560 × 10 mm
PCB weight up to 10 kg
Options: Smart Pin Support
3D Coplan Module
Software: On-Board PCB Inspection
OSC Package
1 240 × 240 mm available soon  |  2 Up to 2.0 kg available soon
View SIPLACE SX

SIPLACE X S

Compact and efficient solutions for flexible production environments, supporting a broad component range.

  • Optimized footprint for space-efficient lines
  • High flexibility for high-mix manufacturing
  • Reliable performance across standard SMT applications
SIPLACE X S
SIPLACE X S PLACEMENT MACHINE
Specification SIPLACE X4 S
Placement head CP20 / CPP / TWIN
Component size max. 120 × 120 mm
Component weight up to 160 g
Feeder capacity 160 × 8 mm feeder
Tray Supply Waffle Pack Changer non-stop refill or matrix tray unit
PCB size (L×W×H) 850 × 685 × 10 mm
PCB weight up to 10 kg
Options: Smart Pin Support
3D Coplan Module
Software: On-Board PCB Inspection
OSC Package
View SIPLACE X S

 

This technical guide outlines the key requirements for assembling AI and HPC electronics and demonstrates how SIPLACE placement solutions enable a fully controlled SMT process, covering everything from programming and component handling through to inspection and final placement.

Download technical overview (PDF)

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