PCIM Europe 2024: the highlights

A grand total of 637 exhibitors showcased their latest products, solutions, ideas, and innovations in the field of power electronics (including us!), with over 18,000 visitors in attendance. It was great to see the diversity in not only products and approaches to power electronics, but also in attendance, with companies and people from around the globe coming together to share ideas.

Here at Electronic Specifier, we were thrilled to welcome all to the stand to say hello, hand out some goodies, and show off our latest magazines such as ESDesign, Procurement Pro, IoT Insider, and Startups Magazine. At the same time, we had a blast visiting all the other exhibitors, such as ROHM, Infineon, Rohde & Schwarz, Microchip, and Navitas just to name a few, and learn about the latest innovations and trends in power electronics.

The trends

There was so much on display at PCIM Europe this year, that it's hard to fit it all in. Despite this, there were some clear trends being put forward by the many exhibitors at the show.

SiC and GaN took centre stage, with many of the exhibitors investing heavily in progressing these areas, driven by the increased potential of these materials in data centres, motor drives, and lower-power applications.

The influx in SiC and GaN utilisation has also driven other areas forward, such as in test and measurement, where the increased switching speeds of these materials are driving demand for precise solutions with new approaches.

Energy efficiency, electromobility, and energy storage were also key topics not just of the future, but also the present – something to look out for in the coming year. It would be hard to imagine that come the next PCIM these areas will not be the most heavily discussed.

There was also a growing presence of 8-inch SiC/GaN substrates being utilised even more, seemingly touting it as the new ‘norm’ in the industry. These larger substrates are a core part of the downward trends seen in the cost of SiC and GaN technologies, with the technologies becoming more accessible and cost-effective than ever before.

As the EV craze rages on, bi-direction charging advancements were also a big feature for many at the show, with SiC and GaN being applied to these new innovations. Improved efficiency, form factors, charging rates, and costs are all big parts of these advancements.

These are just a few of the key trends we are seeing in power electronics, and there are still many more that haven’t been mentioned here – it’s an exciting time for power electronics.

Final thoughts

With so many standouts, innovations, and excitement, power electronics is coming into a crucial phase in its lifetime, driven by key factors like the rise of SiC and GaN, as well as the need for improved efficiency, and rapidly growing industries such as automotive and data centres.

GaN is the thing I am most excited about and look forward to seeing more of in the future. It would be deft of me to think that it won’t be long until we get to see the utilisation of GaN all around us, both directly in the household and indirectly at the data centres and AI we begin to utilise more in this digital age.