Welcome
On behalf of the APEC 2025 Organizing Committee, it is my great pleasure to welcome you to the 40th annual IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC) at the Georgia World Congress Center in the historic city of Atlanta.
APEC Has Grown
Yes, APEC is forty years young. On May 21, 1985, the idea of a conference was proposed which would focus on practical issues of concern to power electronics engineers. The first APEC was held in April 1986 at the Fairmont Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, only about nine months after the concept was first proposed. It consisted of 34 technical papers in 7 sessions, 6 professional education seminars, a panel discussion on the future of power electronics, a two-day exhibition with 20 exhibitors, and a total of 250 attendees.
Aung Thet Tu
APEC 2025 General Chair
Forty years later, APEC has grown to over 6,000 attendees, with over 750 technical presentations, 18 professional education seminars, and a three-day exposition with over 270 exhibitors. Today, APEC is the established premier power electronics conference and exposition where power electronics professionals, academics, and students from all over the world gather annually to share and learn about the latest research, technologies, and products for applications ranging from milliwatt-power mobile phone electronics to gigawatt-power solar energy farms.
The Program
The professional education seminars starting on Sunday are a “must” for those seeking a better in-depth understanding of a variety of power electronic topics. The Plenary Session on Monday afternoon will cover important power electronics topics by distinguished invited speakers followed by the can’t-miss Welcome Reception in the Exhibit Hall. On Tuesday through Thursday, over 750 presentations will be given in lecture and dialogue portions of the Technical Sessions and in the application-oriented Industry Sessions. The 3 Debate Sessions on Tuesday evening (formerly called Rap Sessions) will offer lively and entertaining interactive discussions on current hot topics. There will also be about 50 Exhibitor Presentations which will showcase the latest products and technologies from our exhibiting companies. The challenge at APEC is not about whether you can find a topic in your area of interest. Rather, it is about choosing which session among many that covers your interests.
This year, we do have some schedule adjustments changes from the traditional APEC program. On Monday, before the Plenary Session, there will now be a new Dialogue Preview Session of selected poster papers from the Thursday Dialogue (Poster) Sessions. This will be a good opportunity for the attendees to “taste” the 14 different flavors of APEC’s power electronic tracks and interact with the authors. The opening Plenary Session has also been shortened to four invited speakers. On Thursday, there will no longer be any afternoon sessions, eliminating the dreaded slots not favored by any speaker or attendees. Instead, the Thursday morning sessions will start a half hour earlier to still allow the same number of sessions as before.
A Memorial
The General Chair for APEC 2025 originally was Tony O’Gorman. Tragically, Tony passed away in May 2024, just as the planning for this APEC started. I am saddened but honored to be able to fill in for him. Tony made many contributions to APEC over the years as Industry Sessions Chair, Assistant Program Chair and Program Chair, and he had been looking forward to his stint as Conference General Chair. We remember Tony not only for APEC and professional contributions, but also personally. The new Dialogue Preview Session on Monday will be dedicated to Tony O’Gorman for APEC 2025.
Evolving Attendee Experience
Based on the attendee surveys of the previous years, we have continuously improved the attendee experience at APEC. The improved mobile app does an excellent job of allowing you to plan your total APEC experience by previewing the content, customizing your calendar, and receiving notifications.
For students attending the conference, I encourage you to visit the Student Job Fair on Tuesday afternoon which allows you to talk to various participating companies about job prospects. It is free of charge for registered students.
To encourage STEM development with younger generations, we are now allowing minors to accompany the registered attendees. With a required waiver, minors will be able to see the exhibit floor, attend the plenary and debate sessions, and of course the MicroMouse event and FIRST robotic demonstrations. Some great excursions are also in the works for the Guest/Spousal program.
To celebrate our 40th anniversary, we will have a large wall poster of APEC history where you will be encouraged to share your APEC memories. We also plan to have a special Wednesday Night Social event commemorating APEC. Come and enjoy. Make new connections and renew old ones.
Venue And Local Attractions
We will be near the Centennial Olympic Park. Stroll around the surroundings area and see the Fountain of Rings and Olympic Rings sculpture. Nearby attractions include the SkyView Atlanta Ferris wheel, Georgia Aquarium, World of Coca-Cola, and the National Center for Civil and Human Rights. Georgia Institute of Technology is also less than two miles away and we are working with the power electronics professors there to arrange a tour on Thursday afternoon for those who would like to visit this world class power electronics research center.
In closing, I am grateful to our exhibitors, partners, and our three sponsors (PSMA, PELS, and IAS). APEC is a conference organized by power electronics professionals like you, for the power electronics community. There are hundreds of volunteers who make this a premier event. I thank the dedication, passion, and knowledge of the Organizing and Steering Committees, the Technical Program’s track and session chairs, the Industry Session chairs, our army of reviewers, and the authors and presenters. Finally, thanks for the tireless support of our professional conference management company Meeting Management Services (MMS) in our second year of our partnership together.
Sincerely,
Aung Thet Tu
General Chair
2025 IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition