Question of the Month: In 5 years’ time, do you think component data sheets will be in their current format?

"Manufacturers will offer an API and designers will use their own AI to select components" - probably......but still will provide datasheets for those who need to substitute parts, upgrade, hobbyists, etc.  The pdf  format maybe enhanced, but this is still an inexpensive way to communicate to the masses.

I've been used to the PDF format - it's non-threatening, it's easy to understand, it's compatible. But it's not efficient.

But what's really going to help make life easier for everyone is a standardised database/data file format. Well defined parameters, fields for test conditions/notes, no ambiguity about values that are max/min/typ, and ease of comparison would definitely be aided. Stores like element14 would probably have a lot less work when adding product lines and fewer occasions where their parametric search lacks the data for a certain component or has the wrong value.

Will this be defined within a 5 year time-window, who knows? But I certainly hope it does. If it integrates well and leverages EDA software, provides footprints and symbols, that would be even more streamlined. Perhaps it might even contain SPICE model data for simulation. But perhaps it's a bit too ambitious as an idea, or manufacturers don't want to be compared "apples-to-apples", and extensibility/feature creep could be an issue too. Perhaps manufacturers find value funneling you to their site, forcing you to use their tools alone so you wouldn't be considering other options ...

- Gough

Parametric searches could benefit from improvement and standardization. Distributors and manufacturers have made progress in this area, but the current state of parametric searches is incoherent and non-standardized.

Distributors have a stronger incentive to improve parametric searches compared to manufacturers. Manufacturers may not be motivated to facilitate customers' ability to find or upgrade components outside of their own product offerings, potentially creating a "walled garden" effect.

Perhaps manufacturers won't allow you to know the details of their components, instead selling "services" based on your "needs" with a "subscription model." HAAS.

Who knows. Cost will presumably override user preferences, and nothing is likely to change unless there are economic benefits for the suppliers. But,... pleasant surprises do happen.

Call me a traditionalist but I think we will still have PDF datasheets 5 years from now.  If it ain't broke....

Interesting question. I expect pdf to persist even though I personally never liked it. Let me rephrase that. I really, really, really, dislike the pdf concept. I find it is a format that cripples productivity, introduces enormous inefficiency, wastes time and forces unnecessary costs to be incurred. It isn't just a roadblock, it is a giant step backward in the computer/paperless era. I know why people use it and why they like it, but I am not one of them. From my perspective there is no value to the format, in fact it is a cost and a totally wasted cost at that. The only reason why it might get replaced is because we are starting to find ways to work around the crippling nature of the concept. "There has to be a better way to more effectively cripple productivity"...

It is a pipe dream of mine that vendors make the data sheet the access window through which all the services flow. Need a pinout drawing, data sheet. Need dimensions for CAD, datasheet. Most of this exists today with the data sheet but it is manual. It would be nice to make it more interactive. Be nice to suck in data to an application without having to jump through compatibility hoops. The data sheets would be the portal to a content management system.

IMO it’s coming, just not from the manufacturers rather value-add companies, like Altium/Nexar. It reflects that an integrated, seamless and comprehensive content/data delivery is outside of the current capability of the manufacturers, and there is value for large customers pay to sustain 3rd parties, to innovate in this space. The user expectation of moving across manufacturers also positions a “neutral” 3rd party better to own this space.

Nexperia has a interactive datasheet feature in its webpage.