Detailed abstracts for every 2027 presentation, grouped by theme. Click a speaker to see their full bio.
AI Datacentres from Grid to Rack
How can power electronics support the rapid growth of AI datacentres, from grid connection and energy resilience through to rack-level power density, efficiency and thermal performance?
Solid-State Transformers – Component Technologies and System-Level Enablement
As AI data centers continue to scale in power density and power demand, conventional power systems will reach their limits. Solid-state transformers (SSTs) are one cornerstone for the next generation of AI power infrastructure. The lecture will explore: How SST architectures are reshaping AI data center power distribution The role of advanced power electronics in enabling compact and efficient medium-voltage conversion Challenges in magnetics, EMC, high-voltage switching, and system stability How TDK technologies support next-generation AI infrastructure architecture
Electrification at Scale: EVs, Charging and High Voltage
What power electronics innovations will be required to scale the next generation of electric vehicles, charging infrastructure and high-voltage systems?
Keynote
Full Speed Ahead for SiC: Where Does Wide Bandgap Go Next in Automotive?
Silicon carbide has moved from a premium option to a mainstream choice for electric vehicle traction inverters and onboard charging, but the next phase of adoption will be shaped as much by system requirements as by device performance. As a semiconductor manufacturer, Tier 1 supplier and vehicle-facing business, Bosch sees the full chain from wafer to drivetrain. This keynote will review recent advances in SiC power semiconductors and gate drive, and examine how they are being shaped by the demands of 800 V architectures, higher power density, efficiency targets and cost pressure. It will consider where SiC delivers the greatest value at system level, how gate driver design influences performance and reliability, and what manufacturers must address to support volume vehicle programmes. The talk will close with a view on where wide bandgap technologies go next in automotive, and what that means for industrial power electronics.
From Silicon to Wide Bandgap: Choosing the Right Technology for the System
How should system designers choose between Si, SiC, GaN and emerging technologies to achieve the best combination of performance, reliability, power density and total system cost?
Silicon, SiC or GaN? Matching the Device to the System
With silicon, SiC and GaN each offering distinct advantages, choosing the right technology increasingly depends on the system rather than the device alone. This talk will explore how performance, reliability, power density and total system cost shape that decision, drawing on a supplier perspective that spans all three technologies.
Can high-power GaN revive the EV powertrain?
Gallium nitride (GaN) has, until recently, been largely restricted to consumer applications such as fast chargers and power adapters for mobile phones. However, hype has grown around GaN and potential gains in efficiency and power density afforded by the wide bandgap material, especially in data centers and robotics. With power and voltage ratings increasingly overlapping between GaN and SiC, serious steps are now being made around the introduction of GaN into electric vehicles, up to and including the traction inverter. This presentation, based on IDTechEx research, will address the following questions: What are the advantages of GaN in EV applications, and are there any drawbacks/bottlenecks? What is the current state-of-play of GaN in the EV powertrain, and how does IDTechEx expect this to develop? What questions need to be answered before GaN is deployed at scale in electric vehicles?
Testing beyond the Rating: Production Test strategies for 3.3kV and higher-voltage SiC
As power SiC and IGBT devices move to 3.3kV and higher, driven by the need to reduce losses in large-scale grid-to-server AI campuses and enable the scale-up of charging stations for increased electric mobility, production device testing must address more than simply static tests at increased voltage. This presentation examines methodologies for high-voltage breakdown testing, dynamic switch testing and complementary parasitic capacitive element testing at high voltage. Together, these techniques provide comprehensive device production testing scalable from 3.3kV and beyond.
Engineering for Power Density: Thermal Management, Reliability and Integration
How can power electronics designers overcome thermal, reliability and integration challenges to deliver smaller, higher-performing and longer-lasting power systems?
From Simulation to Hardware: Validating Top-Side Cooling TIM Concepts for SiC MOSFETs
Top-side-cooled (TSC) power packages shorten the heat path from junction to heat sink, lowering thermal resistance and giving designers more freedom in heat-sink placement and packaging density. This places more of the burden on the thermal interface material (TIM), which must combine low thermal resistance with reliable electrical insulation for 800 V systems, compensate for height tolerances and suit automated high-volume processing. A representative TSC setup with eight SiC MOSFETs was first investigated by thermal simulation, comparing concepts ranging from single-layer gap filler liquids and a silicone gap pad to hybrid gap filler and insulating film stacks, as well as an AlN ceramic with thermal paste. The simulation gives a clear thermal ranking, but no single concept wins on every criterion, and absolute temperatures depend heavily on parameters a model can only approximate, such as contact resistance, voids, surface roughness, assembly tolerances and clamping force. This contribution closes that gap. Together with Infineon, selected concepts are built into a real top-side-cooled SiC MOSFET application and characterised under defined operating conditions, with measured temperatures and thermal resistances compared directly against the simulation results to show where the models are reliable and where hardware effects dominate. The talk concludes with practical guidance for selecting TSC TIM concepts based on insulation requirement, gap and tolerance situation, process capability, reliability and cost, and derives calibrated design margins for using simulation in early concept phases.
Coupling electromagnetics, heat transfer and fluid flow to design higher power density converters
As traction inverters, onboard chargers and DC-DC converters shrink, thermal and electromagnetic behaviour can no longer be assessed in isolation. This talk shows how coupled 3D simulation of IGBT modules, busbars and magnetic components, with lumped parameters extracted for circuit-level analysis, helps engineers optimise cooling, reduce reliability risk and resolve EMI/EMC issues before hardware is built.
