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Power and sensing reimagined Shaun Milano, Senior Director Applications Marketing, and Carsten Himmele, Segment Marketing Manager, both at Allegro Microsystems, discuss the company’s recent product innovations, which include new current sensors and fan driver ICs delivering improved performance and energy efficiency for automotive and industrial applications and new TMR current sensors providing stable and lossless current measurements with superior electrical noise immunity in compact designs. 0:00 / 0:00

Recent Interviews

Power and sensing reimagined Shaun Milano, Senior Director Applications Marketing, and Carsten Himmele, Segment Marketing Manager, both at Allegro Microsystems, discuss the company’s recent product innovations, which include new current sensors and fan driver ICs delivering improved performance and energy efficiency for automotive and industrial applications and new TMR current sensors providing stable and lossless current measurements with superior electrical noise immunity in compact designs.

Eumetrys measures up to industry challenges Yannick Bedin, CEO of Eumetrys, discusses the company’s metrology expertise, looking at the ways in which it is helping its customers to address the key challenges and opportunities they face within the semiconductor industry – with advanced packaging, compound semiconductors and the need for faster and more accurate solutions some of the main drivers.

Reversible computing and near zero-energy silicon chips Mike Frank, Senior Scientist and Rodolfo Rosini, CEO, both at Vaire Computing, explain how reversible computing, as an alternative to classic computing, performs calculations without destroying information in the process (i.e., generating heat), reducing energy consumption and the need for cooling. Both are excited by the potential of the technology to meet AI’s ever-increasing computing and energy demands.

Redefining automation in electronics manufacturing Gustavo Sepulveda, Process Automation Business Head for Panasonic Connect, discusses outlines the company’s new NPM-GW Modular Placement Machine - with advanced features, including real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and enhanced versatility in component handling, the NPM-GW ensures seamless operation and maximized overall equipment effectiveness. Highlights include: high-speed precision, enhanced component versatility, Autonomous Factory integration and smart feeder solutions.

Atom-thin semiconductors to tackle AI's surging energy costs Sir Colin Humphreys, Professor of Materials Science at Queen Mary University of London, explains that a team of UK scientists at Queen Mary University of London, University of Nottingham and University of Glasgow has received a £6 million EPSRC programme grant, “Enabling Net Zero and the AI Revolution with Ultra-Low Energy 2D Materials and Devices (NEED2D),” to develop energy efficient, atomically-thin semiconductors to dramatically reduce the electricity demand from AI data centres and high-performance computing.

CHIPDIPLO project seeks to strengthen European semiconductor industry Mathieu Duchâtel, Director of international studies at Institut Montaigne and Project Director of the recently launched Chips Diplomacy Support Initiative (CHIPDIPLO), shares his expert insights on the geopolitics of the global semiconductor industry, with particular reference to how the EU, in getting ready to work on a new CHIPS Act, needs to base its industrial policy measures on a reliable understanding of the various risks facing the sector. Mathieu explains the role that the CHIPDIPLO project will play in ensuring a more cohesive and collaborative approach for Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem, vital to strengthen its resilience and competitiveness.

DC-DC power modules help to bridge the 48V/12V transition Maury Wood, VP Strategic Marketing at Vicor, discusses how power delivery networks (PDNs) are making a decisive shift from 12V to 48V architectures to take advantage of higher efficiency, but that seizing this opportunity presents many power system design challenges for legacy systems that have been optimized around 12V architectures for decades. Vicor has addressed this challenge by launching the DCM3717 and DCM3735 DC-DC power modules to enable power system designers to deploy high-performance 48V power delivery networks for legacy 12V loads and achieve significant size, weight and efficiency benefits.

Improving the renewable energy efficiency and optimisation Ivan Llaurado, Chief Revenue Officer at Diamfab, explains how the new collaboration MoWiLife is uniting 10 leading science and industry organizations including Diamfab, synthetic diamond semiconductor wafer producer. The EU-backed project explores the use of power electronics and third generation semiconductors to improve the efficiency and optimization of renewable energy. Its objective is a sustainable, secure, resilient and affordable energy supply for Europe.

Yole Group shares expert insights on the power module packaging industry Shalu Agarwal, Senior Technology & Market Analyst, Power Electronics and Battery at Yole Group, shares expert insights on the power module packaging industry, covering the EV market alongside other industrial applications, how SiC-based power modules benefit high-efficiency and high-reliability applications compared to traditional silicon modules and how the recent slowdown in the EV industry is impacting the power module market. Shalu also highlights some of the many power module market technology innovations being developed and also discusses the geography of the power module market.

Wafer handling solutions evolve for new materials and applications Stefan Detterbeck, Director of Sales & Marketing, mechatronic systemtechnik, discusses the company’s recent attendance at SEMICON China, going on to explain the increasing importance of ultra-thin and fragile wafer handling solutions, especially for power electronics and compound semiconductors.

Partnership drives supplier resilience and agility Talal Abu-Issa, CEO and Co-Founder of Beebolt, explains how Beebolt, the AI-led collaboration platform for global trade, is partnering with SEMI to help revolutionise supplier operations in the semiconductor industry. Together, Beebolt and SEMI will share critical insights and resources with SEMI’s over 3,000 member companies via the SEMI Supply Chain Management (SCM) initiative, helping reinforce supplier capabilities for a more robust supply chain.

Crescendo increases power density possibilities Eric Pittana, Senior Director of Global Marketing and EMEA Sales for Empower Semiconductor, discusses the forthcoming OCP EMEA Summit, which serves as a platform where global technical leaders tackle the issues related to data centre sustainability, energy efficiency and heat reuse in the region, offering valuable insights as to how the sector is responding to both the need for more compute power and sustainability objectives. Eric also explains that Empower will be showing the latest advancements to its Crescendo vertical power delivery solution - the platform is now complete, so at OCP EMEA the company will show the full chipset and provide demos of a) thermal performance and b) transient response.

AI data crucial to shaping an agile, robust supply chain strategy Ankur Gupta, Senior Director of Product Management for Model N High Tech products, discusses why supply chain disruptions and uncertainties are the top factors impacting revenue management strategy this year within the semiconductor sector. He explains how manufacturers must maintain control and agility to navigate this volatile landscape, with the focus being on prioritising supply chain transparency, reimagining contract structures, developing contingency-based pricing models and, above all, ensuring access to high quality data (and the subsequent analytics) to help shape a successful supply chain strategy.

STILE technology strengthens US semiconductor packaging advancements Ron Huemoeller, CEO of Saras Micro Devices is bringing its expertise in power delivery solutions to two high-impact semiconductor research projects, each awarded $100 million under the U.S. Department of Commerce CHIPS National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program (NAPMP). By integrating its STILE™ technology, Saras is helping drive advancements in power efficiency and chiplet integration for high-performance computing (HPC) and AI applications.

Terecircuits shares material science innovations for advanced packaging applications Wayne Rickard, Terecircuits CEO, outlines the company’s decision to join the US’s National Semiconductor Technology Center, contributing its considerable expertise in the synthesis, characterization and delivery of polymers, encapsulants and thin film coatings for advanced packaging. Wayne explains that, in working alongside industry leaders across the U.S. semiconductor ecosystem, Terecircuits can accelerate the development of advanced material solutions for heterogeneous integration and, in so doing, is helping to tackle critical challenges in high-density, high-performance chip manufacturing.

NIL and MEMS - a powerful combination Thomas Achleitner, Business Development Manager at EV Group, gives us a preview of the paper he is presenting at the forthcoming AngelTech event: ‘Leveraging NIL for µLED Lens Packaging’, explaining why NIL is particularly suited for this application, and other process steps that NIL could cover. He also explains about the company’s NIL Photonic Competence Center and talks through the recently launched next-generation version of its GEMINI automated production wafer bonding system for 300-mm wafers.

Revolutionising semiconductor design Andy Nightingale, Vice President Product Management & Marketing at Arteris, discusses exciting developments at the company: the launch of FlexGen, smart network-on-chip IP accelerating chip design by up to 10x, enhancing engineering efficiency by 3x and with AI-driven heuristics reducing wire length by up to 30% the immediate availability of the latest generation of Magillem Registers technology for SoC integration automation, featuring significant advancements to performance, capacity, standards support, and usability and the news that Nextchip has licensed Arteris’ FlexNoC 5 interconnect IP with Functional Safety for its EFREET1 project for automotive vision.

Streamlining electronics system development Ted Pawela, VP, Head of Customer Success at Renesas, introduces the Renesas 365, Powered by Altium, platform, which promises to revolutionise embedded system development - too often restricted by manual component searches, fragmented documentation and siloed teams. Ted explains how Renesas 365 integrates hardware, software, and lifecycle data into a single digital environment, to streamline workflows, accelerate time to market, ensure digital traceability and real-time insights, and improve decision-making from concept to deployment.

New SMU helps semiconductor device development Edwin Luijks, Product Manager at Yokogawa Test&Measurement, talks through the company’s new AQ2300 series high-performance, modular, high-speed SMU (Source Measure Unit) offering high-quality pulse generation alongside high-precision voltage/current generation and measurements. Thanks to its inherent productivity and expandability characteristics, the 2-channel SMU module also saves time and space when performing the typically complex measurement functions essential for semiconductor devices.

China, geopolitics and the global semiconductor industry Doug Sparks, CEO of M2N Technologies LLC, a consulting firm specializing in semiconductors, MEMS and sensors, including their supply chains, discusses geopolitics and supply chains, with particular reference to China, AI, sustainability and skills – sharing his considerable knowledge and experience of the global semiconductor industry. Doug has recently published a book on his ‘specialist subject’: ‘A Decade In The Chinese Semiconductor Industry: An American’s Story, which provides insight into the semiconductor and MEMS industry in China – technology, growth, historical background, IP protection strategies, business tips and more.

SemiQ launches 1200 V Third-Generation SiC MOSFET Bruce Dickinson, Director of North America Sales at SemiQ, discusses the company’s newly launched QSiC 1200V MOSFET, a third-generation SiC device that shrinks the die size while improving switching speeds and efficiency. The device is 20% smaller versus QSiC’s second-generation SiC MOSFETs and has been developed to increase performance and cut switching losses in high-voltage applications. SemiQ is targeting a diverse range of markets including EV charging stations, solar inverters, industrial power supplies and induction heating.

SMU optimised for testing emerging nano/2D semiconductor devices Chuck Cimino, Senior Product Manager for Lake Shore Cryotronics, explains the company’s new test instrument optimised for characterizing nanoscale and other low-power semiconductor devices. The new SMU-10 Source Measure Unit expands the module offering of Lake Shore’s MeasureReady M81-SSM Synchronous Source Measure (SSM) System and enables engineers to easily source and measure signals that would otherwise be swamped by electrical noise. Primary applications include I-V characterization of transistors used in specialized sensors, nanoelectromechanical systems (NEMS), quantum computer readout electronics, and emerging specialized and integrated circuit nanoscale semiconductor-based devices.

Optimism overrides any causes for concern Philip Schluter, and Oliver Markl, both Partners at the leading European M&A and Debt Advisory firm, Pava Partners, discuss the state of the semiconductor industry – its size, its geographical and geopolitical strengths and weaknesses across Asia, Europe and North America, some of the key market drivers – the good and the not so good, concluding that there is every reason to be optimistic as to the future.

Imec demonstrates core building blocks of a scalable, CMOS-fab compatible superconducting digital technology Anna Herr, scientific director at imec USA Florida, explains how record-performing NbTiN-based interconnects, Josephson junctions, and MIM capacitors open doors to energy-efficient compute systems for AI and HPC.

The world’s first silicon photonic chip for FHE Nick New, CEO of Optalysys, explains how the company enables the future of secure compute by processing encrypted data at scale, without it being decrypted. It does this by using the power of advanced silicon photonics to enable Fully Homomorphic Encryption, a cryptographic technology to allow organisations to securely commercialise their data, providing several significant advantages to traditional electronic semiconductors.