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36 EE|Times EUROPE — Power Electronics

POWER ELECTRONICS
ABB’s Radjassamy on the Drivers and Enablers

of Next-Gen Power Systems

By Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio

or several years, the growing need for power quality in distribution systems, together with the large-scale integration
of renewable energy sources, has increased the demand for new technologies driven by the advent of new wide-
F bandgap (WBG) materials. With e-mobility becoming increasingly important, environmentally friendly battery tech-
nology is no longer an option but a necessity. Consumers, industries, and governments are all taking steps to increase their
use of renewable energy, with several approaches supported by smart-grid interconnectivity.
In an interview with EE Times Europe, Raj Radjassamy, director, 5G wireless segment leader for ABB Power Conversion,
talked about the trends for WBG semiconductors and power management technologies in the context of applications such
as renewable energy and electric vehicles. “Miniaturization and power density are two of the biggest key trends for the
next decade,” Radjassamy told us, and it’s only through innovations such as WBG devices “that we can save our customers
invaluable and limited space.” As for power supply technology, “high-voltage DC deployment for data centers and 5G will
become a must-have,” and the migration to wireless “requires power solutions robust enough to eliminate cables while
remaining capable of accommodating an ever-increasing amount of power transmission.”

EE TIMES EUROPE: What will be the the iPhone introduces new capabilities while smart-city devices powering the industrial
most critical technology trends over maintaining its handheld size, meaning that internet of things (IIoT).
the next few years? In particular, which innovation and miniaturization are happen-
technological advancements will hold ing at the micro-board level, including in EETE: Do you find the power supply
the most relevance? What are the terms of how components within the device market more competitive due to so many
technologies that can offer innovation are powered. brands coming into the market? What is
for leadership? The combined trend of miniaturization the target/goal to introduce new devices?
Raj Radjassamy: The miniaturization of with feature aggregation is also evident in Radjassamy: Competitiveness is not unique
technology — combined with feature aggre- broader applications. For instance, to intro- to the power supply market. What’s key is to
gation — is a trend that has been prevalent duce 5G at scale, wireless networks are having differentiate products and services in how
throughout the 21st century that will con- to deploy miniaturized small cells that offer you solve customers’ problems by continu-
tinue to drive technological advancements higher levels of connectivity within a smaller ing to innovate with greater reliability and
in the future. Take, for instance, the iPhone. footprint. Powering these miniaturized cells efficiency.
One of the reasons the iPhone has been so requires the miniaturization and distribution Furthermore, you raise the point that lots
successful since its launch over a decade ago of multiple, compact point-of-load DC/DC of new players promise huge innovation
is that it combines multiple functionalities converters. Other industrial applications will without being able to fully deliver on those
and replaces the need for disparate ancillary need to adopt similar power supply struc- capabilities. There’s something to be said for
devices, like a camera or beeper, within a tures to maintain a competitive advantage, companies with a proven track record of
singular, compact design. Every new model of from autonomous mobile robotics (AMRs) to delivering tangible results to their customers.

IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK

FEBRUARY 2021 | www.eetimes.eu