5th IEEE International Future Energy Electronics Conference (IFEEC 2021)

Fred Lee
IEEE Fellow,
Former President of IEEE Power Electronics Society,
National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellow
National Academy of Engineering (NAE) member
University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech
Topic: Data Center Power Architecture and Design

Abstract
Recent advancements of CPU, GPU and AI by adopting the multi-core parallel processing, have demonstrated performance improvements at a rate beyond Moore’s Law. For example, the new generation of GPU has grown into 600 cores and demands 1000 amperes of current. This rather dramatic change in processor technology has imposed significant challenge to the power delivery and management. The current form of Data center power architecture with 12V voltage regulators (VRs) has been replace with 48V VRs, with significant impact in the overall system efficiency. With the advent of the new generation of wide bandgap power semiconductor devices, the authors propose a design practice that marks a significant departure from the current practice. Simultaneous improvements in efficiency, power density, EMI are demonstrated with potential impact on manufacturing paradigm and cost. The author will further share some thoughts on more advanced power architecture beyond the current main-stream development activities.

Short Biography of Prof. Lee:

Dr. Lee is a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Virginia Tech. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, U.S. National Academy of Inventors, an academician of Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, and a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, China. Dr. Lee founded the Center for power electronics and led a program that encompasses research, technology development, educational outreach, industry collaboration, and technology transfer. To date, more than 230 companies worldwide have benefited from this industry partnership program.

Dr. Lee has supervised to completion 89 Ph.D. and 93 M.S. students. He holds over 100 US patents, and has published over 330 journal articles and more than 760 refereed technical papers. His research interests include high-frequency power conversion, magnetics and EMI, distributed power systems, renewable energy, power quality, high-density electronics packaging and integration, and modeling and control.

Dr. Lee is a recipient of the 2015 IEEE Medal in Power Engineering “for contributions to power electronics, especially high-frequency power conversion."

Hirofumi Akagi
IEEE Fellow,
Former President of IEEE Power Electronics Society,
Former IEEE Division II Director,
Professor, School of Engineering,
Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
Topic: What Led to the Emergence of the p-q Theory?

Abstract

Professors in the department of electrical engineering have been teaching undergraduate students a set of active power and reactive power in single-phase circuits under the assumptions of sinusoidal voltage and current waveforms in steady-state conditions. Then, they have been expanding it to three-phase circuits. As a result, any “instantaneous” reactive power in single-phase circuits still required information on the past values of voltage and current. This requirement automatically rendered it inaccurate because using the past information resulted in being no longer “instantaneous.” In the 1970s, many power electronic experts around the world challenged to solve this problem. However, no one succeeded in establishing any convincing theory.

Dr. Akagi, thinking in reverse, began to define instantaneous reactive power in three-phase circuits, and gave a mathematical proof of its physical meaning. Both definition and physical meaning were consistent with speculation, which prompted experts to accept it as valid. Currently, the theory of the instantaneous reactive power is called the “p-q theory” amongst the experts in the world. As soon as he established the p-q theory, he applied it to the three-phase instantaneous-reactive-power compensator consisting of switching devices without any bulky energy storage component. He verified innovative operating characteristics that had until then been impossible to obtain through the application of the traditional reactive-power theory based on single-phase circuits.

He presented the theoretical paper entitled “Generalized Theory of the Instantaneous Reactive Power in Three-Phase Circuits” at the first IPEC-Tokyo in April 1983. It was followed by the experimental paper published in the IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications in May 1984.

This talk will focus on the initiation and establishment of the p-q theory, including Akagi’s research experiences from 1973 to 1982 before the emergence of the theory. Understanding of the process would be useful and effective in challenging a new research activity.

Short Biography of Prof. Akagi:

Hirofumi Akagi was born in Okayama, Japan, in August 1951. He received his Ph. D. degree in electrical engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan, in 1979. Since 2000, he has been Professor, currently Distinguished Professor, at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Prior to it, he was Professor at Okayama University, Okayama, Japan, from 1991 to 1999, and Assistant and then Associate Professor at Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka, Japan from April 1979 to 1991.

His research interests include power conversion systems and their applications to industry, transportation, and electric power utility. He has authored and coauthored more than 140 IEEE Transactions/Journal papers, and three invited papers in Proceedings of the IEEE.

Dr. Akagi was elevated to the grade of IEEE Fellow in 1996, and the IEEE Life Fellow in 2020. He has received six IEEE Transactions Prize Paper Awards, and 16 IEEE Industry Applications Society Committee Prize Paper Awards. He is the recipient of the 2001 IEEE Power Electronics Society William E. Newell Award, the 2004 IEEE Industry Applications Society Outstanding Achievement Award, the 2008 IEEE Richard Harold Kaufmann Award, the 2012 IEEE Power & Energy Society Nari Hingorani Custom Power Award, the 2018 IEEE Medal in Power Engineering, and the 2020 EPE Gaston Maggetto Medal from the European Power Electronics and Drives Association.

Dr. Akagi served as the President of the IEEE Power Electronics Society from 2007 to 2008 for two years, and the IEEE Division II Director from 2015 to 2016 for two years.

Alan Mantooth
IEEE Fellow,
Former President of IEEE Power Electronics Society,
Distinguished Professor,
The Twenty-First Century Research Leadership Chair,
Department of Electrical Engineering,
University of Arkansas, USA
Topic: SiC Electronics: Beyond Power Devices

Abstract

When the world eventually emerges from this global pandemic and supply chains re-normalize, there is optimism that the semiconductor shortages will subside. Among these improvements will be the ability to deliver silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor power devices more rapidly and at lower price points. However, as has been well-documented, there are advancements beyond the power devices themselves that play a role in the adoption of SiC technology in new design starts. This talk will touch on some of those. Economy and performance are benefits that come with high power density power electronics, analogous to VLSI electronics. High density power electronics require the heterogeneous integration of disparate technologies including power semiconductor devices, driver, protection and control circuitry, passives and voltage isolation techniques into single modules. One of the keys to advancing power electronics integration has been the commercial reality of wide bandgap power semiconductor devices made from silicon carbide and gallium nitride. The ability to design and manufacture wide bandgap integrated circuits as sensors, drivers, controllers, and protection circuitry allows them to be packaged in close proximity to the power device die to minimize parasitics that would adversely impact system performance. These impacts include excessive ringing, noise generation, power loss, and, potentially, self-destruction. This talk will describe emerging trends in SiC-based integration. Advanced 3D electronic module packaging approaches driven by simultaneous electro-thermal-control design methods and multi-objective optimization techniques will also be described.

Short Biography of Prof. Mantooth:

H. Alan Mantooth received the B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. degrees from the University of Arkansas in 1985 and 1986, and the Ph.D. degree from Georgia Tech in 1990. He then joined Analogy, a startup company in Oregon, where he focused on semiconductor device modeling and the research and development of modeling tools and techniques. In 1998, he joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where he currently holds the rank of Distinguished Professor. His research interests now include analog and mixed-signal IC design & CAD, semiconductor device modeling, power electronics, power electronics packaging, and cybersecurity. Dr. Mantooth helped establish the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT) at the UA in 2005. Professor Mantooth serves as the Executive Director for NCREPT as well as two of its centers of excellence: the NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center on GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES) and the Cybersecurity Center on Secure, Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems (SEEDS) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2015, he also helped to establish the UA’s first NSF Engineering Research Center entitled Power Optimization for Electro-Thermal Systems (POETS) that focuses on high power density systems for electrified transportation applications. Dr. Mantooth has co-founded three companies in design automation (Lynguent), IC design (Ozark Integrated Circuits), and cybersecurity (Bastazo) as well as advising a fourth in power electronics packaging (Arkansas Power Electronics International) to maturity and acquisition as a board member. Dr. Mantooth holds the 21st Century Research Leadership Chair in Engineering. He currently serves as Senior Past-President for the IEEE Power Electronics Society and Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics. Dr. Mantooth is a Fellow of IEEE, a member of Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and Eta Kappa Nu, and registered professional engineer in Arkansas.

James Tang
VP & General Manager, EVSBG, Delta Electronics Inc., Taiwan
Topic: EV Trend and Delta’s Movement in EV Industry

Abstract

This talk will focus on the automotive market trend, Delta’s focus, and Delta’s vision in EV market. James’ experience sharing would be practical and helpful for understanding better the direction of EV industry from both the commercial and the technical point of view. James Tang with the Electric Vehicles Solutions Business Group(EVSBG) of Delta Electronics Inc. will provide his view on the Electrified Vehicle market trend. He has been leading the EVSBG and penetrating most of the worldwide top carmakers (OEMs) successfully in the last 10 years. Besides, he has transformed EVSBG from being a component supplier to a system provider and become a core tier-1 partner to the carmakers.

Short Biography of James Tang:

James Tang was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 1964. He was graduated from National Cheng Kung University, majoring in Industry Management in 1986. He received his EMBA degree from National Taiwan University in 2003. Since 2017, he has been the VP and General Manager of Electric Vehicles Solutions BG since 2017. He joined Delta as a purchasing specialist in 1988 and became the Materials Director later. Prior to the current position, he was the General Manager of Personal Computer BG from 2006 to 2008, the General Manager of Consumer & Lighting BG from 2009 to 2011, the VP and General Manager of Embedded Power Solutions BG from 2012 to 2016.

	Fred Lee IEEE Fellow, Former President of IEEE Power Electronics Society, National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Fellow National Academy of Engineering (NAE) member University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech Topic: Data Center Power Architecture and Design
Abstract Recent advancements of CPU, GPU and AI by adopting the multi-core parallel processing, have demonstrated performance improvements at a rate beyond Moore’s Law. For example, the new generation of GPU has grown into 600 cores and demands 1000 amperes of current. This rather dramatic change in processor technology has imposed significant challenge to the power delivery and management. The current form of Data center power architecture with 12V voltage regulators (VRs) has been replace with 48V VRs, with significant impact in the overall system efficiency. With the advent of the new generation of wide bandgap power semiconductor devices, the authors propose a design practice that marks a significant departure from the current practice. Simultaneous improvements in efficiency, power density, EMI are demonstrated with potential impact on manufacturing paradigm and cost. The author will further share some thoughts on more advanced power architecture beyond the current main-stream development activities. Short Biography of Prof. Lee: Dr. Lee is a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Virginia Tech. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, U.S. National Academy of Inventors, an academician of Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, and a foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, China. Dr. Lee founded the Center for power electronics and led a program that encompasses research, technology development, educational outreach, industry collaboration, and technology transfer. To date, more than 230 companies worldwide have benefited from this industry partnership program. Dr. Lee has supervised to completion 89 Ph.D. and 93 M.S. students. He holds over 100 US patents, and has published over 330 journal articles and more than 760 refereed technical papers. His research interests include high-frequency power conversion, magnetics and EMI, distributed power systems, renewable energy, power quality, high-density electronics packaging and integration, and modeling and control. Dr. Lee is a recipient of the 2015 IEEE Medal in Power Engineering “for contributions to power electronics, especially high-frequency power conversion."


	Hirofumi Akagi IEEE Fellow, Former President of IEEE Power Electronics Society, Former IEEE Division II Director, Professor, School of Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan Topic: What Led to the Emergence of the p-q Theory?
Abstract Professors in the department of electrical engineering have been teaching undergraduate students a set of active power and reactive power in single-phase circuits under the assumptions of sinusoidal voltage and current waveforms in steady-state conditions. Then, they have been expanding it to three-phase circuits. As a result, any “instantaneous” reactive power in single-phase circuits still required information on the past values of voltage and current. This requirement automatically rendered it inaccurate because using the past information resulted in being no longer “instantaneous.” In the 1970s, many power electronic experts around the world challenged to solve this problem. However, no one succeeded in establishing any convincing theory. Dr. Akagi, thinking in reverse, began to define instantaneous reactive power in three-phase circuits, and gave a mathematical proof of its physical meaning. Both definition and physical meaning were consistent with speculation, which prompted experts to accept it as valid. Currently, the theory of the instantaneous reactive power is called the “p-q theory” amongst the experts in the world. As soon as he established the p-q theory, he applied it to the three-phase instantaneous-reactive-power compensator consisting of switching devices without any bulky energy storage component. He verified innovative operating characteristics that had until then been impossible to obtain through the application of the traditional reactive-power theory based on single-phase circuits. He presented the theoretical paper entitled “Generalized Theory of the Instantaneous Reactive Power in Three-Phase Circuits” at the first IPEC-Tokyo in April 1983. It was followed by the experimental paper published in the IEEE Transactions on Industry Applications in May 1984. This talk will focus on the initiation and establishment of the p-q theory, including Akagi’s research experiences from 1973 to 1982 before the emergence of the theory. Understanding of the process would be useful and effective in challenging a new research activity. Short Biography of Prof. Akagi: Hirofumi Akagi was born in Okayama, Japan, in August 1951. He received his Ph. D. degree in electrical engineering from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, Japan, in 1979. Since 2000, he has been Professor, currently Distinguished Professor, at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. Prior to it, he was Professor at Okayama University, Okayama, Japan, from 1991 to 1999, and Assistant and then Associate Professor at Nagaoka University of Technology, Nagaoka, Japan from April 1979 to 1991. His research interests include power conversion systems and their applications to industry, transportation, and electric power utility. He has authored and coauthored more than 140 IEEE Transactions/Journal papers, and three invited papers in Proceedings of the IEEE. Dr. Akagi was elevated to the grade of IEEE Fellow in 1996, and the IEEE Life Fellow in 2020. He has received six IEEE Transactions Prize Paper Awards, and 16 IEEE Industry Applications Society Committee Prize Paper Awards. He is the recipient of the 2001 IEEE Power Electronics Society William E. Newell Award, the 2004 IEEE Industry Applications Society Outstanding Achievement Award, the 2008 IEEE Richard Harold Kaufmann Award, the 2012 IEEE Power & Energy Society Nari Hingorani Custom Power Award, the 2018 IEEE Medal in Power Engineering, and the 2020 EPE Gaston Maggetto Medal from the European Power Electronics and Drives Association. Dr. Akagi served as the President of the IEEE Power Electronics Society from 2007 to 2008 for two years, and the IEEE Division II Director from 2015 to 2016 for two years.


	Alan Mantooth IEEE Fellow, Former President of IEEE Power Electronics Society, Distinguished Professor, The Twenty-First Century Research Leadership Chair, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Arkansas, USA Topic: SiC Electronics: Beyond Power Devices
Abstract When the world eventually emerges from this global pandemic and supply chains re-normalize, there is optimism that the semiconductor shortages will subside. Among these improvements will be the ability to deliver silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor power devices more rapidly and at lower price points. However, as has been well-documented, there are advancements beyond the power devices themselves that play a role in the adoption of SiC technology in new design starts. This talk will touch on some of those. Economy and performance are benefits that come with high power density power electronics, analogous to VLSI electronics. High density power electronics require the heterogeneous integration of disparate technologies including power semiconductor devices, driver, protection and control circuitry, passives and voltage isolation techniques into single modules. One of the keys to advancing power electronics integration has been the commercial reality of wide bandgap power semiconductor devices made from silicon carbide and gallium nitride. The ability to design and manufacture wide bandgap integrated circuits as sensors, drivers, controllers, and protection circuitry allows them to be packaged in close proximity to the power device die to minimize parasitics that would adversely impact system performance. These impacts include excessive ringing, noise generation, power loss, and, potentially, self-destruction. This talk will describe emerging trends in SiC-based integration. Advanced 3D electronic module packaging approaches driven by simultaneous electro-thermal-control design methods and multi-objective optimization techniques will also be described. Short Biography of Prof. Mantooth: H. Alan Mantooth received the B.S.E.E. and M.S.E.E. degrees from the University of Arkansas in 1985 and 1986, and the Ph.D. degree from Georgia Tech in 1990. He then joined Analogy, a startup company in Oregon, where he focused on semiconductor device modeling and the research and development of modeling tools and techniques. In 1998, he joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, where he currently holds the rank of Distinguished Professor. His research interests now include analog and mixed-signal IC design & CAD, semiconductor device modeling, power electronics, power electronics packaging, and cybersecurity. Dr. Mantooth helped establish the National Center for Reliable Electric Power Transmission (NCREPT) at the UA in 2005. Professor Mantooth serves as the Executive Director for NCREPT as well as two of its centers of excellence: the NSF Industry/University Cooperative Research Center on GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems (GRAPES) and the Cybersecurity Center on Secure, Evolvable Energy Delivery Systems (SEEDS) funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. In 2015, he also helped to establish the UA’s first NSF Engineering Research Center entitled Power Optimization for Electro-Thermal Systems (POETS) that focuses on high power density systems for electrified transportation applications. Dr. Mantooth has co-founded three companies in design automation (Lynguent), IC design (Ozark Integrated Circuits), and cybersecurity (Bastazo) as well as advising a fourth in power electronics packaging (Arkansas Power Electronics International) to maturity and acquisition as a board member. Dr. Mantooth holds the 21st Century Research Leadership Chair in Engineering. He currently serves as Senior Past-President for the IEEE Power Electronics Society and Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics. Dr. Mantooth is a Fellow of IEEE, a member of Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and Eta Kappa Nu, and registered professional engineer in Arkansas.


	James Tang VP & General Manager, EVSBG, Delta Electronics Inc., Taiwan Topic: EV Trend and Delta’s Movement in EV Industry
Abstract This talk will focus on the automotive market trend, Delta’s focus, and Delta’s vision in EV market. James’ experience sharing would be practical and helpful for understanding better the direction of EV industry from both the commercial and the technical point of view. James Tang with the Electric Vehicles Solutions Business Group(EVSBG) of Delta Electronics Inc. will provide his view on the Electrified Vehicle market trend. He has been leading the EVSBG and penetrating most of the worldwide top carmakers (OEMs) successfully in the last 10 years. Besides, he has transformed EVSBG from being a component supplier to a system provider and become a core tier-1 partner to the carmakers. Short Biography of James Tang: James Tang was born in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 1964. He was graduated from National Cheng Kung University, majoring in Industry Management in 1986. He received his EMBA degree from National Taiwan University in 2003. Since 2017, he has been the VP and General Manager of Electric Vehicles Solutions BG since 2017. He joined Delta as a purchasing specialist in 1988 and became the Materials Director later. Prior to the current position, he was the General Manager of Personal Computer BG from 2006 to 2008, the General Manager of Consumer & Lighting BG from 2009 to 2011, the VP and General Manager of Embedded Power Solutions BG from 2012 to 2016.