The emergence of cloud-based internet services, artificial intelligence, and cryptocurrency has initiated a strong growth of processing power in data centers worldwide. In combination with rising electricity and real estate prices, this trend creates a clear need for highly efficient and compact server power supplies and server SMPS applications. To achieve the required higher power … Read more
Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) compliance is often the last hurdle that an electronic device has to overcome in the development process. It is not rare at all for circuit-specific and layout-specific changes to be required in the process. These then extend the product development cycle and increase costs. For this reason, Würth Elektronik now offers the … Read more
Because servers are essential for handling data communications, the server industry has grown exponentially in parallel with the Internet. Although server units were originally based on a PC architecture, a server system must be able to handle the increasing number and complexity of network hosts. Figure 1 shows a typical rack server system in a … Read more
High frequency, high density power supplies are possible with gallium nitride (GaN) devices, which are ideal for aerospace, transportation, and medical applications. Certain design procedures must be taken into account when laying out the printed circuit board (PCB) and components. A multi-layer layout and tracing with copper pores, for example, would minimize the conduction path … Read more
This year’s PowerUP Expo Virtual Conference has seen many speakers talking about wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, energy trends, and low-power aspects. Efficiency is a driving force in all industrial sectors, including consumer. Thanks to their savings in size, weight, and cost, as well as higher efficiency, gallium nitride and silicon carbide power devices are making major … Read more
5G New Radio (NR) is fundamentally different from its 4G predecessor and not just a simple grade from existing 4G infrastructure. The use of multi-user massive-MIMO, integrated access and backhaul, and beamforming with millimeter-wave (mmWave) spectrum up to 71 GHz gives 5G NR the ability to provide huge levels of connectivity, speeds in the multi-gigabit … Read more
Innovations in power-conversion technology are enabling a transformation in robotics design. Today’s integrated power modules are addressing the demanding size, weight, power budgets, and cost efficiencies required to move robots from factory, residential, and commercial applications into a vast new landscape bounded only by the imagination. We are hitting a tipping point at which robots … Read more
A new Battery Directive issued in Europe proposes requirements for all batteries, including those for automotive applications, such as efficiency and performance, durability, carbon footprint monitoring, origin of raw materials, disposal, and recycling of end-of-life batteries. Battery analytics technologies can address these issues: By bringing intelligence into the production process, manufacturers can extend the life … Read more
The biggest challenge facing our generation is the increasing demand for energy. Global electricity consumption per head has grown by 50% in the last 30 years, driven by many societal changes. Our homes contain an ever-increasing number of electrical appliances, so the number of power outlets in the house has increased. We have witnessed a … Read more
Wireless power transfer (WPT) systems are becoming more and more popular, with significant applications in the consumer electronics, medical device, and electric-vehicle charging sectors. Among the different aspects involved in the design of WPT systems, one of the most relevant regards the coil-coupling configuration, or architecture. For high-frequency resonant WPT systems, the two-coil and four-coil … Read more
