About the Plenary Session
The APEC Plenary Session continues the long-standing tradition of addressing issues of immediate and long-term interest to the practicing power electronic engineer. The APEC plenary presentations are delivered from invited distinguished professionals, followed by an interactive Q&A at the end of each presentation.
Date: Monday, March 17, 2025
Time: 1:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Location: Sidney J. Marcus Auditorium, Georgia World Congress Center, Level 4
Watch The APEC 2025 Plenary Session On IEEE.TV
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APEC 2025 Welcome And Conference Opening
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM
- Introduction: Stephanie Watts Butler, APEC 2025 Plenary Chair
- Opening Welcome Message: Aung Thet Tu, APEC 2025 General Chair
- Plenary Introduction: by Jin Wang, APEC 2025 Program Chair
Plenary Presentations
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM
A Technology’s Journey: 40 Years Of APEC
John G. Kassakian
Professor of Electrical Engineering, Emeritus
(General Chair, 1st And 2nd APEC, 1986 And 1987)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract: It has been 40 years since the first APEC and the first Issue of IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics (TPEL). What has happened in that nearly half a century? A lot! Power electronics technology has experienced advances that have been transformational – e.g., in semiconductors, control, packaging, economics, sensors – and these advances have made power electronics an enabler for many new applications — anti-lock brakes, drive by wire, capturing solar and wind energy, high-field MRI. We review this progress, highlighting salient milestones and discuss the current state of our technology. We then consider what developments, and their implications, we might reasonably expect to see within the next decade, and what advances in technology and applications are not yet envisioned but hold promise for the future.
Dr. Kassakian is Professor Emeritus of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where from 1991 to 2009 he directed the interdepartmental Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems. He received his undergraduate and graduate degrees from MIT, and served in the US Navy prior to joining the MIT faculty. He is the Founding President of the IEEE Power Electronics Society, and is the recipient of many IEEE awards, including the IEEE William E. Newell Award and the IEEE Power Electronics Society’s Distinguished Service Award. He is a Life Fellow of the IEEE and a member of the National Academy of Engineering. He has published extensively in the areas of power electronics, education, and automotive electrical systems, co-chaired the MIT study “The Future of the Electric Grid” and is a co-author of the textbook Principles of Power Electronics. He has served on the boards of several public companies and for 12 years was a member of the Board of Directors of ISO-New England, the operator of the New England electricity grid.
2:30 PM – 3:00 PM
Efficiency In Cloud Computing And AI Power Delivery With A Holistic Semiconductor Approach
Thomas Neyer
Senior Vice President, Head Of GaN Systems, Research And Development
Infineon Technologies AG
Abstract: The increasing demand for computing power in AI server farms requires highly efficient advanced power supply solutions. One key enabler for efficiency improvement lies in the combination of leading-edge Silicon, Silicon carbide and Gallium Nitride components. While Silicon remains a cost effective and a widely used material in slower switching and lower Voltage nodes, Silicon Carbide MOSFETs and Gallium Nitride HEMTs offer superior performance in higher power sockets and enable impressive power densities and high switching frequency while reducing losses and improved thermal properties. SiC is particularly suited for high-voltage applications, whereas GaN enables high efficiencies and fast switching speeds at medium and lower voltages. By integrating these semiconductors into power supplies, DC-DC converters and inverters, AI server farms can significantly reduce energy consumption, minimize heat generation, and lower operational costs, ultimately improving overall system efficiency and sustainability.
Thomas Neyer: Thomas Neyer holds an PhD from Technical University in Vienna from 1995 and worked for more than 25 years for several leading corporations like Fairchild, HH-Grace, onsemi and Infineon on Power Semiconductor Development, Product Testing, Process Integration. Through his career Thomas held multiple senior R&D and Manufacturing leadership roles and contributed significantly to the advancement of Silicon SuperJunction and Trench IGBT platforms, shaped the development of leading edge Silicon carbide Diodes and MOSFETs and today leads the development of Gallium Nitride Products and Technology within Infineon.
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM: Break
3:30 PM – 4:00 PM
The Role of Power Electronics in Achieving a Sustainable Hydrogen Economy
Francisco Canales
Corporate Research Fellow
ABB Switzerland Ltd.
Abstract: Decarbonization of major energy-consuming sectors is a top priority of the 2015 Paris Agreement and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2023 report. This has significantly challenged today’s energy systems with the development of long-term sustainable energy production and storage. Perhaps one of the most promising strategies for addressing this challenge is the implementation of hydrogen solutions, where renewables can be heavily utilized and new ways of storing and transporting this green energy can be explored. To achieve the viability of green hydrogen, production plants must be scaled up to reduce the investment cost. Electrolyzer manufacturers are making significant efforts to increase the capacity of these units, with prototypes now reaching up to 50 MW. In this context, Power Electronics is expected to play a key role in enhancing performance and reducing final production costs by enabling the integration of various systems, such as different types of renewables feeding a cluster of electrolyzers for hydrogen production, potentially with a grid connection. Power Electronics will be crucial in managing the increased power demands, ensuring stable and efficient operation of these high-capacity hydrogen systems. The presentation aims to discuss the role of Power Electronics in future electrified hydrogen systems and outline the challenges and opportunities in these sectors.
Francisco Canales (Member, IEEE) received the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA. As a Senior Research Assistant at the Center for Power Electronics Systems, Virginia Tech, he was part of several core research and several industry-sponsored projects. He was an Associate Professor in the Department of Electronic Engineering, CENIDET, México. In his role of Corporate Research Fellow at ABB Ltd, his current research interests center around modular converter designs, resonant switching concepts and high-efficient conversion topologies for industrial, traction and renewable energy applications.
4:00 PM – 4:30 PM
Integrated Magnetics and Heterogenous Integration Enabling Vertical Power Delivery for High Performance Computing
Cian Ó Mathúna
Research Director Integrated Power and Energy Systems Embedded & Integrated Magnetics
Tyndall National Institute
Abstract: Integrated power management and vertical power delivery are becoming essential for power delivery for high performance processors and AI engines. This is facilitating the concept of granular power whereby large arrays of dc-dc converters are integrated within the processor package platform thereby enabling dramatic reduction in overall system energy. This paradigm shift is being enabled by the miniaturization of magnetic inductors using thin-film magnetic films on silicon and PCB-embedded structures to replace bulky wire-wound devices. This talk will discuss the commercial emergence of magnetics-on-silicon technology (MagIC) and associated PCB-embedded magnetics technologies which are enabling Power Supply on Chip and Power Supply in Package platforms. The various integrated magnetic technologies will be introduced along with their relative performance capabilities. The talk will also discuss the need for the parallel development and utilization of Heterogeneous Integration and Chiplet platforms for 2.5D and 3D packaging of integrated power as evidenced in the EU and the USA CHIPS Acts. Key challenges still to be addressed, both from a technology and supply-chain perspective, will also be presented.
Prof. Cian Ó Mathúna is Director of Integrated Power and Energy Systems Research at Ireland’s Tyndall National Institute, University College Cork. His team’s research, into the miniaturization and integration of magnetics onto silicon, has contributed to disruptive developments of integrated power management for processors in portable and high performance computing. Using semiconductor fabrication of thin-film magnetics, the team have made bulky magnetic components disappear onto silicon chips. Called “MagIC”, Tyndall’s magnetics-on-silicon technology has been licensed to global electronics companies and foundries. In 2008, Cian founded the International Workshop on Power Supply on Chip (PwrSoC), now a flagship event for IEEE PELS and PSMA. Through his leadership, and his collaborations with world-leading industry players in Europe, USA and Asia, Ó Mathúna has influenced the emergence of global supply-chains for PwrSoC that has seen high-volume production of magnetics-on-silicon in commercial product. Cian is an IEEE Fellow and, in 2021, received the IEEE PELS Technical Achievement Award for Integration and Miniaturization of Switching Power Converters and also received an EARTO (European Association of Research and Technology Organizations) Impact Innovation Award.
*speakers, times, and topics subject to change.