The need to reduce electronics system complexity and improve power efficiency goes hand in hand, which is especially true for applications like electric vehicles (EVs). Artificial intelligence (AI) solutions also become critical to help maintain reliable products. The EE Times special report on Improving Tech for Power Efficiency covers three key areas – microcontrollers (MCUs), power management and wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors – that are bringing greater power efficiency benefits to a range of applications.
WBG semiconductors, for example, surpass traditional silicon in many performance areas and play a big role in the transition to electric mobility as automotive OEMs increasingly need to improve the efficiency and performance of EVs. It is expected that silicon carbide (SiC) will soon replace traditional silicon-based power devices, particularly in EV designs, with gallium nitride (GaN) gaining ground in the automotive market thanks to its suitability in both low- and high-voltage applications.
The report also covers the adoption of artificial intelligence in EV design for monitoring and managing the state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH) of an EV’s battery. It is also helping in the search for new materials for battery manufacturing and the identification of new recycling techniques.
Other topics include MCUs for motor control, big AI chips and energy efficiency in data centers. Another interesting topic is the use of diamond possibly as “the ultimate WBG semiconductor material for applications in high-power electronics.”
Here are the articles in this special report:
SiC Applications Transforming the Automotive Industry
GaN Making Inroads in Lower Power EV Applications
SiC Wafer Trends to Know Prior to Implementation
Taking GaN to the Next Level of Scalability
AI Helps Predict EV Battery State of Charge and Health
Optimizing MCUs for EV Motor Control
The Challenges of Powering Big AI Chips
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