About the Debate Sessions
Every year, the APEC Committee handpicks a handful of hot topics and brings together a panel of distinguished experts to engage in a dynamic exchange of views. The Debate Sessions, formerly called RAP Sessions, are structured around pivotal questions designed to spark debate, ensuring a representation of diverse perspectives. Kickstarting the session with introductory remarks from our panelists, we then open the floor to you—our audience of specialists—to weigh in with your insights, challenge the experts, and steer the conversation with your questions. Get ready for an invigorating exchange of ideas that is as informative as it is animated and walk away with a deeper understanding of the latest trends and controversies in power electronics.
APEC 2026 Debate Sessions
The APEC 2026 Debate Sessions continue APEC’s long history of presenting the most important current topics in power electronics. Leading engineers and researchers each present their thoughts on where power electronics is headed and then the audience is invited to join the discussion. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the leading edge in power electronics engineering.
More information will be available soon!
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2026
Time: 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM
Location: Rivel Level, Rooms 006 and 007
Debate Session 1
Bidirectional Devices: Will emerging bi-directional devices have wide adoption or not?
There has been a need for bi-directional power semiconductor devices for a range of power electronic applications, including but not limited to matrix converters, advanced multilevel converters, Vienna rectifiers, and solid-state circuit breakers. Bi-directional semiconductor switches are conventionally made of back-to-back connected unidirectional devices, thus doubling the power loss and component cost. The power semiconductor industry and research community have been trying to develop more cost-effective all-integrated bidirectional power devices, such as bidirectional silicon IGBTs, SiC MOSFETs, GaN four-quadrant switches, and reverse-blocking IGBTs or IGCTs in the past decade. However, the bidirectional device application and market have yet to reach a critical mass. During this session, we will examine the market pull and technology push factors of the field, and how these factors will shape the future of power electronics.
Chair: John Shen – Professor, Simon Fraser University
Panelists:
Michael Harrison – Power Electronics Architect, Enphase Energy
Victor Veliadis – Director & CTO, Power America
Qinghong Yu – Principle Technical Architect, Schneider Electric
Srabanti Chowdhury – Professor, Stanford University
Debate Session 2
In Power Electronics, Should the future rely more on Generative AI for Design or Predictive AI for Optimization?
Artificial intelligence (AI) is no longer just supporting power electronics (PE)—it is beginning to reshape it. AI is infiltrating every layer of modern power converters. As this transformation accelerates, the PE community faces a defining question: Should the future be built on Generative AI—systems that invent, architect, and autonomously design converters? Or on Predictive AI—models that are used to optimize, diagnose, and fortify converters using deep data-driven insight?
Generative AI advocates will champion tools capable of turning natural-language prompts into complete converter designs, new modulation strategies, drafting hardware prototypes, and enabling end-to-end autonomous design workflows.
Predictive AI proponents will counter with its proven industrial value—high-accuracy forecasting of losses and dynamics, precise aging and RUL prediction, enhanced closed-loop control, and safer, more reliable operation through compact, trustworthy models.
Join us as we debate not just how AI will change power electronics—but which form of AI should lead that change.
Chair: Alan Mantooth – Professor, University of Arkansas
Panelists:
Trifon Liakopoulos – CEO, Enachip
Minjie Chen – Professor, Princeton University
Richard Blackey – Modelling and Simulation Manager, Würth Elektronik
Frede Blaabjerg – Professor, Alborg University