1. Meet your Directors
   
2. Executive Committee Update
   
3. About Our Members
   
4. APEC Update
   
5. Welcome to PSMA
   
6. PSMA Annual Meeting
   
7. 2026 Power Magnetics @ High Frequency Workshop
   
8. 2026 Capacitor Workshop
   
9. 2026 Satellite Power Magnetics Workshop
   
10. 3D-PEIM 2026
    
11. WiPDA 2026
    
12. APEC Student Mentorship
    
13. APEC Student Attendance Support
    
14. PSMA and APEC
    
15. The Quiet Collapse of Market Research
    
16. Events of Interest - Mark Your Calendar

If you or anyone in your company is interested in getting on the distribution list for future issues of PSMA UPDATE, please send e-mail to: power@psma.com. Be sure to include your name and the name of your company.

Previous issues of update: Q3_2025 | Q4_2025 | Q1_2026

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PSMA UPDATE is published and distributed via e-mail quarterly by the Power Sources Manufacturers Association. Send editorial information and comments to:

Permission to reprint information and articles as published is granted: a courtesy line is appreciated.

Membership in PSMA is open to any organization or corporation involved in the power sources and supplies industry. For membership information, visit our website or contact us by fax, telephone or email.

If you or anyone in your company is interested in getting on the distribution list for future issues of PSMA UPDATE, please send e-mail to: power@psma.com. Be sure to include your name and the name of your company.

 

our members of the Board of Directors are elected at the PSMA Annual Meeting held every year, usually held during the APEC conference. Each Director serves a three-year term and is eligible to be reelected for one additional term. In this issue we would like to introduce you to Llew Vaughan-Edmunds.

VP & GM, GaN Business Unit
Navitas Semiconductor

Llew Vaughan-Edmunds is Vice President and General Manager of the GaN Business Unit at Navitas, with end-to-end responsibility for strategy, portfolio execution, and commercial scale-up of next-generation GaN power semiconductors. He leads product strategy, customer engagement, and cross-functional execution to deliver differentiated GaN products and solutions into AI datacenter, performance computing, energy and grid infrastructures, and industrial electrification markets.

Llew brings over 25 years of experience in global power semiconductor leadership, with prior roles at Infineon Technologies, International Rectifier, Onsemi, and Applied Materials. His background spans product development, marketing, and business leadership, with a strong track record of scaling advanced power technologies from innovation through qualification to high-volume production.Llew holds degrees from Liverpool and Chapman University and holds a patent in GaN device technology. He has served on multiple industry boards, including as Chairman of the PowerAmerica consortium, contributing to the advancement of wide bandgap semiconductor adoption.

Renee Yawger
Chairperson of PSMA

s I step into the role of Chairperson of PSMA, I want to first start by thanking the leadership team and everyone who has contributed their time, expertise, and energy to build this organization into what it is today.

PSMA has always played a unique role in our industry, bringing together people from across companies, disciplines, and technologies to advance power electronics. And that role is more important now than ever.

We're at a point where power electronics is no longer just an enabling technology; it's central to some of the biggest shifts happening today. From AI infrastructure to electrification to energy efficiency, what we do matters in new and very visible ways.

Over the coming year, PSMA will continue to focus on the initiatives that provide the greatest value to our members and the broader power electronics ecosystem, while expanding PSMA's reach, visibility, and impact. That means strengthening our community, amplifying the incredible work happening within our committees, and ensuring PSMA remains a place where the industry comes together to understand what's next and shape it.

An important part of that effort will be restarting the PSMA Power Technology Roadmap (PTR) webinar series. The PTR initiative has historically provided valuable insights into where technologies, applications, and industry priorities are heading, helping engineers and companies better understand both emerging opportunities and the challenges that remain to be solved. I encourage both individuals and member companies to participate, whether by attending, contributing ideas, or presenting topics that can help advance understanding across the industry. We are seeking contributions that provide technical, forward-looking insights on where power electronics is headed. If you have a perspective that can help shape the industry roadmap, we'd like to hear from you.

Another area of particular importance is ensuring that PSMA continues to foster connections across organizations and generations of engineers. The long-term health of our industry depends not only on technical innovation but also on building strong professional networks and creating opportunities for knowledge transfer and mentorship. Programs such as the new PSMA Student Internship initiative are designed to strengthen those connections and encourage greater participation from emerging talent in the power electronics community.

As incoming Chairperson, I look forward to working alongside the Executive Committee, the Board of Directors, committee leadership, and membership to continue building on the strong foundation established by those who have led PSMA before us. Thank you for your continued support of PSMA and for your contributions to the power electronics community.

Semiconductor-Compatible Integrated Magnetics for MHz Power Delivery

Enabling the Next Generation of Integrated Power Delivery

s semiconductor systems continue pushing toward higher current densities, faster switching frequencies, and increasingly compact form factors, power delivery is becoming one of the defining challenges of modern electronics. Artificial intelligence accelerators, hyperscale data centers, advanced aerospace systems, and wide-bandgap (WBG) power electronics are all driving a transition toward vertically integrated power architectures operating in the multi-MHz regime.

Eneira's founding team was recognized in May 2026 for its leadership in NJ's Innovate100 event!

While semiconductor switches have advanced rapidly, magnetics have emerged as the limiting factor. Conventional discrete inductors occupy a significant portion of voltage regulator volume, struggle to scale with increasing power density requirements, and remain difficult to integrate into advanced packaging architectures such as chiplets and 3D heterogeneous integration.

Eneira LLC was founded to address this challenge

Based in Hillsborough, New Jersey, Eneira is developing semiconductor-compatible integrated magnetic technologies for next-generation power delivery applications. The company focuses on wafer-level inductors and transformers designed for MHz-frequency operation, high current density, and compatibility with advanced semiconductor packaging platforms.

At the core of Eneira's technology is a proprietary materials platform called CMA™ (Compositionally Modulated Magnetic Alloy), a wafer-level electroplated magnetic system engineered specifically for high-frequency integrated power applications. Unlike conventional laminated magnetic stacks that rely on multiple vacuum deposition and insulation steps, the CMA™ approach uses compositionally engineered magnetic alloys to create "virtual laminations" within a continuous electroplated structure. This architecture enables suppression of eddy-current losses while remaining compatible with scalable semiconductor fabrication processes.

In parallel, Eneira has developed ultra-thick electroplated copper winding technology capable of producing copper features significantly thicker than conventional thin-film approaches. The combination of thick copper conductors and engineered magnetic materials enables integrated magnetic components with high current handling capability, low resistance, and stable operation across the MHz switching range required by modern GaN power systems.

The company's development efforts are centered around several major industry transitions currently reshaping power electronics:

• AI accelerators and hyperscale computing platforms demanding dramatically higher current delivery and power density
  
• Growing adoption of GaN power devices operating at multi-MHz frequencies
  
• Advanced packaging architectures requiring lower-profile passive components
  
• Increasing demand for domestic U.S. manufacturing capability in critical power electronics technologies

Controlled μ & ρ modulation along z-axis Alternating high-μ and high-ρ layers suppress eddy currents up to 30 MHz

On–chip Inductor: CMA coated 150 μm thick Cu windings

Eneira believes integrated magnetics will be foundational to the next generation of vertical power delivery architectures powering AI and high-performance computing. The company has demonstrated wafer-level inductor platforms across multiple device footprints, with examples ranging from 1.2 mm² to 4.5 mm², and operation in the MHz frequency range. Platform geometry is adaptable to customer-specific requirements, with demonstrated operation in MHz frequency ranges. Current development efforts focus on improving current density, inductance-to-resistance ratio (L/R), thermal performance, and process scalability for future commercialization.

Eneira delivers customer-specific integrated magnetics solutions across the power electronics ecosystem serving semiconductor companies, aerospace and defense organizations, research institutions, and fabrication facilities through a fab-neutral model built on process licensing, design capabilities, and technology transfer. As the power electronics industry moves toward increasingly integrated architectures.

Eneira believes the future of power delivery will depend on magnetic technologies capable of scaling alongside semiconductors themselves. The transition from discrete to embedded and eventually monolithic power integration is already underway for active devices. Eneira's mission is to help make the same transition possible for magnetics.

Editors Note: We would like to feature your company in a future issue of the Update. Please contact the Association Office for information about how to submit an article for consideration.

he dust has hardly settled following a very successful APEC 2026, last March 22-26 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antiono, TX and the Organizing Committee is already hard at work planning APEC 2027. Next March 7-11, APEC will be held in New Orleans - Laissez les bons temps rouler!

I want to encourage PSMA members watch for announcements about the calls for Technical Session and Industry Session submissions as well as proposals for the Professional Education Seminars. This an exceptional opportunity to us to share our expertise with the power electronics community. You'll find the links on the APEC website to (www.apec-conf.org)

Technical Sessions
Prospective authors will be asked to submit a digest explaining the problem that will be addressed by the paper, the major results, and how this is different from the closest existing literature. Papers presented at APEC must be original material and not have been previously presented or published. The principal criteria in selecting digests will be the usefulness of the work to the practicing power electronic professional. Reviewers value evidence of completed experimental work.

Professional Education Seminars
Professional Education Seminars at APEC 2027 will address the need for in-depth discussion of important and complex power electronics topics. Seminars are three-and-a-half hours (including breaks) in length, can range from broad to narrow in scope, and can vary from introductory to advanced in technical level. Topics are to address the practical issues of the specification, design, manufacture and marketing of power electronic components, products, and systems.

Industry Sessions
The Industry Sessions run in parallel with the technical sessions and have proven to be very popular. Submissions are due by late August. Speakers are invited to make a presentation only without submitting a formal paper. The target audience for these sessions differs from the engineers in typical technical sessions and may include system engineers/architects and business-oriented people such as purchasing agents, information technologists, regulatory agencies, and other people who support the power electronics industry.

Make your plans to be part of APEC 2027. Be sure you have this important event on your calendar and in your budget for next year. And do your part to make it an even better conference by volunteering to be on the peer-review panel in areas where you are qualified. See you in New Orleans.

Provided by Greg Evans, APEC 2027 Publicity Co-Chair

Heiontec GmbH
Andreas Heine
Founder & CEO
An der Trave 2
Siblin, Schleswig-Holstein 23623
Germany
Telephone: +49 4525 5719590
E-mail: contact@heiontec.com
Website: www.heiontec.com/en

HEIONEC GmbH is an innovative DEEP TECH START-UP based in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, with a state-of-the-art laboratory in Lohmar, North Rhine-Westphalia. Our interdisciplinary team has developed a solution that meets the growing demand for sustainable and cost-effective electricity and can thus make an important contribution to security of supply.

Electricity generated solely from heat - a dream that HEIONTEC is turning into reality. With our technology, it is possible to generate electrical energy at room temperature. Rely on a self-sufficient and sustainable power supply!

ITG Electronics, Inc.
Martin Kuo
Director of Future
A3 Nelson Ave
Ossining, NY 10562
Telephone: 914-762-1039
E-mail: martink@itg-electronics.com
Website: www.ITG-Electronics.com

ITG Electronics, Inc., a leading provider of magnetic components and power electronics modules headquartered in Ossining, New York. Founded in 1963, ITG operates manufacturing facilities in the United States, Germany, Vietnam, Taiwan and China. The company supports worldwide innovation in power electronics by delivering high performance, high density, and custom engineered magnetic solutions.

ITG has been a leading electrical and mechanical components supplier since 1963.

With a highly experienced engineering team, ITG designs and manufactures high performance magnetic components, modules and EMI filters for a wide range of applications including consumer electronics, automotive, cloud computing, telecommunication, industrial and renewable energy.

Zhuotong Liu
Master (PhD)
Tsinghua University, Hai Dian, Beijing 100084
China
Telephone: 13-904-220-935
E-mail: liuzt24@mails.tsinghua.edu.cn
Website: www.tsinghua.edu.cn/en/

Passionate about sustainability, she aspires to contribute to global energy security and carbon reduction efforts in the future. Having undertaken multiple internships in the field of sustainability, she is motivated to develop herself into a versatile talent. She has a love for philanthropy, having participated in the Beijing Winter Olympics and numerous teaching support activities. She enjoys interacting with people from various industries and believes in not setting limits for herself.

Peak Nano
Adin Pfeuffer
Government Affairs
7700 Hub Pkwy #8
Valley View, OH 44125
Telephone: 7578108271
E-mail: apfeuffer@peaknano.com
Website: www.peaknano.com/

Founded in 2016, Peak Nano is an advanced materials company transforming the future of energy, defense, and infrastructure through breakthrough metamaterial science. At the heart of our innovation is NanoPlex™, a nanoscale metamaterial platform developed from over a decade of collaborative research with Case Western Reserve University, DARPA, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

High-Performance Films for Energy, Defense, Aerospace, and Packaging

Peak Nano specialize in nanolayered capacitor films and protective metamaterials that deliver unmatched performance, reliability, and supply chain resilience. Their proprietary AI-driven design software and advanced U.S. manufacturing capabilities allow them to engineer next-gen materials that:

• Lower system risk and cost
• Withstand extreme environments
• Enhance energy storage and delivery
• Reinforce national security and energy independence

ver 50 PSMA members and guests attended the PSMA Annual Meeting, held at the Grand Hyatt Riverwalk in San Antonio, TX. The buffet breakfast before the start of the meeting provided attendees an opportunity for networking and reconnecting with colleagues. Chair Trifon Liakopoulos officially opened the meeting by welcoming all the attendees and asking each to briefly introduce themselves. Among those present were many of the recipients of the APEC Student Attendance Support provided by IAS, PELS and PSMA.

After the introductions outgoing Chair Trifon Liakopoulos gave a brief overview of his tenure as Chair before an historic handing of the gavel to Renee Yawger. Renee became the first woman to chair PSMA in our forty-one-year history.

After the handing of the gavel John Horzepa, Executive Director, announced that there were four seats on the Board of Directors open for elections plus a one-year term for the seat currently held by Alan Cooper who was named a replacement board member by Trifon. PSMA had received nominations for three of the existing board members to be re-elected (Stephanie Watts Butler, David Chen, and Deepak Veereddy) plus a nomination for Dhaval Dalal. Alan Cooper had also been nominated to fill the remainder of the term (until 2027). No voting was necessary as there were no other nominations. The four board members voted in to serve from 2026-2029 are:

Stephanie Watts Butler
David Chen
Dhaval Dalal
Deepak Veereddy

In addition, Alan Cooper will serve until 2027.

Ada Cheng, Co-Chair of the Industry Education Committee and PSMA Vice President, gave a report on the Industry Education Committee, highlighting the involvement of PSMA and students and young professionals. She discussed the importance of the Student Attendance Support program and the Mentorship program, both active activities of PSMA at APEC and discussed elsewhere in this newsletter. She also talked about the expansion of these programs – introducing mentorship at WiPDA and increasing the amount of support offered for students presenting papers at APEC. She said PSMA is now a co-sponsor of the Women in Engineering breakfast at APEC as well as the International Future Energy Challenge and that the committee is looking to introduce a student internship program.

Jin Wang, APEC General Chair, gave a presentation on the state of APEC 2026. It was expected that APEC 2026 would continue the string of strong APEC performances since the pandemic ended. Attendance was looking very strong and the exhibit hall had sold out once again.

Brian Narveson receiving the "Joe Horzepa Lifetime Service Award"

After Jin's report the Joe Horzepa Lifetime Service Award was presented. The award was introduced at the Annual Meeting during APEC 2024 and is intended to recognize members who have contributed to PSMA in a significant way for at least 10 years. The award was created to honor longtime PSMA Executive Director Joe Horzepa. John Horzepa said that there were many worthy recipients of the award and that the voting was very close. He said the Patrick LeFevre and Matt Wilkowski were finalists but that the winner this year was Brian Narveson, recognizing his many years of dedication to PSMA. Brian has been a very active member of the Packaging and Manufacturing Committee, leading several special studies. In addition, he has been heavily involved in the 3D-PEIM and IWIPP workshops. Brian was not attending APEC this year but indicated that he was honored to receive the award and thanked everyone at PSMA who helped him over the years. The award was shipped to him after APEC, and he sent this picture of himself holding the award.

Following the award presentation the committee chairs and/or their representatives gave a brief presentation on committee activities since APEC 2025.

After the committee reports Tim McDonald presented the Financial Report featuring the six-quarter forecast.

Tim said that we expect around $250K in surplus from APEC 2026, that money should arrive between January and March of 2027. He said that over the next six quarters net assets will range from $819K to $1.06M, PSMA currently has $924K in assets. The bottom line, he said, is that PSMA is in good financial shape with room to take on more special projects.

After the financial report the floor was opened to discussion among the PSMA members regarding the direction of PSMA. Many ideas were discussed and the Executive Committee agreed to follow up on the best ideas going forward.

Before adjourning, Chair Renee Yawger thanked all presenters and attendees for their participation and invited interested individuals to attend the March meeting of the PSMA Board of Directors, which immediately followed.

Power Magnetics @ High Frequency
Saturday March 6, 2027
Prior to APEC 2027
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
New Orleans, LA 70130

he PSMA Magnetics Committee and IEEE PELS is currently planning to conduct the twelfth Power Magnetics at High Frequency Workshop on Saturday, March 6, 2027, which is the day before and at the same venue as APEC 2027 in New Orleans, LA. The 2027 workshop will build on the ongoing dialogue established throughout the first eleven workshops.

The purpose of this workshop is to explore recent improvements in magnetic materials, coil (winding) design, construction, and fabrication, as well as evaluation techniques, characterization methods, and modelling and simulation tools. This targets the advancements deemed necessary by the participants for power magnetics to meet the technical expectations and requirements of new market applications where higher operating frequencies and emerging topologies are driven by continuous advances in circuits topologies and semi-conductor devices.

The target audiences for the 2027 Power Magnetics @ High Frequency workshop include the designers of power magnetic components for use in electronic power converters responsible to implement the most technologically advanced power magnetic components that are necessary to achieve higher power densities, specific physical aspect ratios such as low profile, higher power efficiencies and improved thermal performance. The target audiences also include people involved in the supply chain for the power magnetics industry ranging from manufacturers of magnetic materials and magnetic structures, fabricators of magnetic components, providers of modelling and simulation software as well as manufacturers of test and characterization equipment.

The theme of the 2027 Power Magnetics @ High Frequency will be measurements and data processing trends to improve analytic models and simulation models towards developing better design tools, enabling magnetics optimization for existing and emerging applications. The workshop will address various aspects of measurement methods and creation of analytical models employing equations re-enforced with empirical data.

As with past workshops, the morning and afternoon sessions will open with keynote presentations that cover a broad range of related issues followed by lecture presentations on specific applications or technical issues. In addition to the brief Q&A period after each individual lecture presentation there will be a panel of the presenters at the end of the session who will address topics requiring more detail as deemed by the workshop attendees.

During lunch, breakfast, and the networking hour at the end of the workshop there will be an interactive session of tabletop technology demonstrations each addressing specific technical disciplines and capabilities consistent with the workshop agenda. Each technology demonstration station includes a brief ten-minute presentation. Interaction between the attendees and the presenters is highly encouraged during this portion of the agenda as a segue from the opening keynote presentation and the technical issues session.

If anyone would like to participate as a presenter for the technical demonstration session, please contact the organizing committee through PSMA via e-mail to power@psma.com with a description of your proposed technical topic. We are limited to ten technology demonstration sessions.

The theme of the morning session will be thermal design of magnetics and theme of the afternoon session will be testing methods and specifications. The presenters for the workshop are currently being identified. If anyone is interested in presenting on any aspect of thermal design or test methods and test specifications, please contact the organizing committee through PSMA via e-mail to power@psma.com.

More details regarding the agenda for the workshop as well as registration for the workshop will become available on the PSMA website (www.psma.com/technical-forums/magnetics/workshop) over the coming months.

The 2026 Power Magnetics at High frequency Workshop was held on Saturday, March 21 in San Antonio, Texas. The 2026 workshop marked the eleventh annual workshop continuing the tradition of informative and synergistic dialogue between members of the magnetics design community that began in 2016 at Long Beach California.

The morning technical lecture session focused on developing analytical and simulation models from empirical data. The session consisted of presentations by Peter Zacharias of the University of Kassel, Lucas Pniak of SAFRON, Daniel Rios Linares of UPM, Alfonso Martinez of Wϋrth Elektronik, and Marek Rylko of SMA Magnetics.

The afternoon technical lecture session focused on trends in automating design techniques for magnetics. The session consisted of presentations by Asier Arruti Romero of Mondragon University, Reddy Andapally Bharadwaj of CBMM, Andrija Stupar of SIMPLIS Technologies and Chema Molina of Frenetic.

Technologies Student poster presentations by Nick Kirkby of ASU, Xuan Wang of UPenn, Priya of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Dheeraj Etta of Cornell University and Pierre Küster of the University of Kassel were available during the breakfast and lunch sessions.

Technology demonstrations by Maira de Paula Nunes of CBMM, Kamyar Ahmadi and Mo Khodadadi of Eneira, Mike Arasim of Fair-Rite Products, Ihsan Dalgic of Hioki, Ryu Nagahama of Iwatsu, Tobias Trupp and JC Sun of Magnetec and Bs&T respectively, , Lukas Mueller of Micrometals, Kevin Hermans of PE Systems, Andreas Muesing and Tom Wilson of SIMPLIS Technologies, Sebastian Bachman, Fritz Wohlrath and Lukas Reißenweber of Tridelta, STS and Coburg University respectively, Jun Wang of University of Bristol, Joaquin Tristan of the University of Pittsburgh, Daniel Rios Linares and Marcin Kacki of the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and Hitachi Energy respectively, David Ruiz Gomez of Wϋrth Elektronik and Alfonso Martinez of Wϋrth Elektronik were available during the breakfast and lunch sessions.

The high energy and record attendance of the 2026 magnetics workshop has paved the way for the start of a second decade of workshops.

he PSMA Capacitor Workshop was successfully delivered on March 21, 2026, in San Antonio, Texas, USA. Held the day before APEC, the workshop provides a cost-effective opportunity for attendees to participate in an intensive technical day in capacitor power electronics. APEC is an annual power electronics conference sponsored primarily by IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS), and Power Sources Manufacturers Association (PSMA).

The feature that makes this workshop unique is its combination of technical presentations, live demonstrations, and panel discussions. Each session begins with a keynote presentation that establishes the broader technical context, followed by two or three detailed practical presentations. The session then concludes with a panel discussion and audience question period involving the presenters.

A short refreshment break and an extended two-hour lunch period provide attendees with time to relax, enjoy excellent food, and explore more than twenty practical demonstrations showcasing solutions to contemporary engineering challenges. Commercial marketing is intentionally kept to a minimum, with only one or two sponsors present within the room. This allows engineers to focus on meaningful technical discussions, investigate practical solutions in depth, and leave the workshop with valuable insights and answers to real-world challenges.

After a four-year hiatus, the PSMA Capacitor Workshop returned—and the attendee feedback answered the key question emphatically: it was absolutely worth it.
The workshop was met with a highly positive response, with 90% of attendees rating the event as Good to Very Good, and the remaining 10% rating it Excellent. Despite being an intensive eleven-hour technical program, attendees were unanimous in agreeing that the workshop length was appropriate, reflecting both the relevance of the content and the engagement of the audience throughout the day.

The presenters were consistently rated Above Average to Superior, and the high level of focus and participation observed throughout the workshop demonstrated the audience's strong interest in both the subject matter and its delivery. Most participants considered the workshop to represent good value, with many rating it as excellent value.

Perhaps most encouraging was the clear support for the workshop's future. Survey responses showed a strong willingness among attendees to return next year and recommend the workshop to colleagues, providing a strong endorsement of both the event's technical quality and its value to the power electronics community.

Even more encouraging, several attendees expressed interest in contributing directly to next year's event—either by presenting technical content or by assisting with workshop planning and organization. The PSMA Capacitor Committee warmly welcomes this involvement, as continued collaboration is essential to ensuring the workshop remains technically relevant, innovative, and valuable to the industry.

This year's workshop featured a diverse and highly relevant technical program, including:

• Electrolytic Capacitor Technology in Multilevel Inverters
• Capacitor Selection for Resonant Converter Design
• Lifetime Analysis of Electrolytics Including Mission Profiles
• Switched-Capacitor-Based Topologies and Circuit Techniques for High-Performance Power Conversion

Looking ahead to New Orleans 2027, attendee feedback has helped identify several exciting topic areas currently under consideration:

1. Thermal design and properties of different capacitor technologies
2. Challenges of magnetic core manufacturing and tolerances
3. Mixed capacitor technology design
4. Behavioral-to-component simulation and its pitfalls
5. Mixed technology simulation including capacitors and magnetics
6. 3D printing for capacitors
7. Lifetime of capacitor technologies including mission profiles
8. Safety compliance across applications and markets
9. Artificial intelligence for modeling, simulation, and design

The survey results point clearly toward an exciting future, with strong interest in deeper technical content, system-level design challenges, simulation advances, and emerging AI-driven engineering methodologies.

New Orleans promises to be an exciting next chapter for the PSMA Capacitor Workshop.
Would you like to present?
Would you like to help shape the program?
Would you like to contribute to organizing the next event?
The PSMA Capacitor Committee invites your participation and encourages anyone interested in contributing technical expertise, ideas, or organizational support to get involved. More details regarding the agenda for the workshop as well as registration for the workshop will become available on the PSMA website (www.psma.com/technical-forums/capacitor/workshop) over the coming months.

We look forward to building an even stronger workshop together in New Orleans.

he AMPED consortium and UPITT's Swanson School of Engineering will host a PSMA sponsored Power Magnetics at High Frequency satellite workshop on Tuesday August 18, 2027 at the Energy Innovation Center in Pittsburgh PA.

The workshop will build on the established reputation and follows the single-track format of the Annual pre-APEC Power Magnetics at High Frequency Workshop.

The theme of the morning session will be advanced magnetic materials and their application. The theme of the afternoon session will be EMI/EMC applications. There will be an opportunity for interactive discussions with experts presenting technology demonstrations and posters from both industry and research organizations. The technology demonstration presentations and posters will be available during the morning and afternoon breaks, the lunch session, and the networking hour at the end of the workshop.

Attendees of the satellite workshop will receive complementary access to the annual AMPED industry workshop in the same venue and on August 19, the day following the satellite event. Registration is recommended as soon as possible, as complimentary access is limited and subject to availability.

Registration for the workshop opened in May. This site also contains the preliminary agenda and updates for the workshop.

A unique aspect of the workshop developed by the PSMA Magnetics Committee is the combination of technical presentations, hands-on demonstrations, and poster sessions. These sessions allow participants to explore new measurement techniques, simulation tools, materials, and design approaches while engaging directly with experts developing the next generation of magnetics technologies.

The AMPED Consortium builds on Pittsburgh's legacy in the electric power industry, including the original headquarters of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation, a pioneer of the electric power grid. Today, the Pittsburgh region and Pennsylvania remain pre-eminent within the area of electric power conversion and grid technologies, spanning from enabling soft magnetic materials to distribution and power transformer manufacturers, and ultimately the utilities and end-users that deploy them. Ongoing collaborations between in-state manufacturers and research institutions such as the University of Pittsburgh are driving rapid innovation and expanding Pennsylvania's influence in the magnetic materials and components industries.

The Future of 3D Power Packaging Starts Here
oin leading researchers, innovators, and industry pioneers from around the world at 3D-PEIM 2026, the premier international symposium dedicated to 3D power packaging and heterogeneous integration. This year's event brings together breakthrough technologies, real-world applications, and unparalleled networking opportunities—all set against the vibrant backdrop and sunshine of the Southwest.

Whether you are advancing fundamental research or driving next-generation products to market, 3D-PEIM 2026 is where ideas spark collaboration and innovation accelerates.

Our Biggest and Most Dynamic Program Yet
3D-PEIM 2026 features our most ambitious technical program to date, including:

• 6 distinguished plenary speakers delivering visionary insights
  
• 7 in-depth technical sessions covering cutting-edge developments
  
• Expert-led tutorials designed to deepen your technical expertise
  
• Interactive poster sessions and industry showcases
  
• Exclusive guided lab tours of ASU's renowned MacroTechnology Works facility

The 3D-PEIM Organizing Committee is pleased to announce the addition of four 2-hr short tutorials which will be held on November 16 (Monday) 1:00 PM - 5:15 PM. You will be able to register for the tutorials you wish to attend at the time of conference registration, which will open in June. Tutorials programs are as follows:

• Advanced Packaging
  George Dogiamis (Deca Technologies), Chanyeop Park (ASU), Hongbin Yu (ASU), and Chris Bailey (ASU)
• Die-Attach by Metal Powder Sintering: The Science and Practice
  G.-Q. Lu (Virginia Tech)
• Digital Twin-Driven Reliability and Prognostics in Power Electronics Systems
  Jong Eun Ryu (North Carolina State University)
• Trends in Magnetic Material Properties to Meet the Challenges of Supporting High-Performance Computing
  Matt Wilkowski (Würth Electronics)

Following the tutorials, there will be panel session on "Key Challenges for 3D Power Electronics Packaging/Manufacturing" on November 16 (Monday) 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM from the following academic and industry experts:

Ravi Mahajan, Intel/HIR Chair

• Doug Hopkins, North Carolina State University/HIR Power Chapter
• Chris Bailey, Arizona State University/HIR Modeling and Simulation Chapter
• Pat McCluskey, University of Maryland/HIR Thermal Chapter
• George Dogiamis, Deca Technologies
• Francesco Carobolante, IoTissimo

Plenary Speakers
Meet our distinguished plenary speakers – visionary leaders who will share groundbreaking insights of power packaging:

• Madhavan Swaminathan, Pennsylvania State University
• Rinkle Jain, NVIDIA
• Cian O Mathuna, Tyndall National Institute
• Yi Zheng, Applied Materials
• Kaladhar Radhakrishnan, Intel
• Stephen Coates, Yuxuan Semi

Technical Focus Areas
The core of the Symposium will be 7 Technical Session with both invited and peer reviewed presentations.

• Advanced Packaging & 3D Integrated Modules
• Thermal Management
• Design, Modeling & Simulation
• Reliability & Failure Analysis
• Power Delivery & Energy Storage
• Passive Components
• Materials for Advanced Packaging

Be Part of What's Next
3D-PEIM 2026 is more than a symposium. It's a global community of researchers, engineers, and industry leaders working together to define the next era of 3D power packaging.

• Registration Opens: June 8, 2026

We warmly invite you to contribute your work, share your expertise, and connect with peers shaping the future of the field.
For full details—including information for sponsors and exhibitors—please visit: https://www.3d-peim.org/
 
We look forward to welcoming you to ASU in 2026!

Call for Papers and Tutorials Now Open for the 13th Annual IEEE Workshop on Wide Bandgap Power Devices and Applications

he Thirteenth IEEE Workshop on Wide Bandgap Power Devices and Applications (WiPDA 2026) will take place October 26-28, 2026, in Burlington, VT. WiPDA brings together device scientists, circuit designers, systems engineers, and application experts to share the latest advances in materials, devices, packaging, and real-world implementations.

Sponsored by IEEE, PSMA, IEEE-PELS, and IEEE-EDS and supported by academia, industry, and national laboratories, WiPDA 2026 is a must-attend event for anyone working at the intersection of semiconductor innovation and high-efficiency power conversion.

Why Attend WiPDA?

WiPDA 2026 brings together the global power electronics community to explore the latest advances in wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor technologies, including gallium nitride (GaN), silicon carbide (SiC), and next-generation ultra-wide bandgap materials. As demands for higher efficiency, greater power density, and more sustainable energy systems continue to accelerate, WBG devices are enabling new possibilities across electric mobility, renewable energy, AI infrastructure, aerospace, industrial systems, and grid modernization.

The conference provides a collaborative environment where researchers, engineers, manufacturers, and system designers can exchange ideas, present new developments, and address the practical challenges of deploying WBG technologies at scale.

This year's program will include:

• Technical Sessions highlighting advances in devices, packaging, reliability, converter topologies, and application-driven system design.
• Tutorials offering both foundational and advanced insight into key WBG topics and emerging trends.
• Keynote Presentations led by recognized experts from industry, academia, and research institutions.
• Panel Discussions featuring industry leaders and technical experts addressing emerging trends, market adoption challenges, supply chain considerations, standards, and the future direction of WBG technologies.
• Poster Sessions and an Industry Exposition showcasing the latest technologies, products, and innovations from across the WBG ecosystem.

Call for Papers and Tutorials

WiPDA 2026 is now accepting one-page abstracts for tutorial proposals (deadline June 13, 2026) and two-page abstracts for technical papers (deadline July 14, 2026).

All accepted and presented papers will be published in the IEEE Xplore Digital Library, giving authors global visibility and citation opportunities.

Technical paper topics include:

• Wide bandgap and ultra-wide bandgap materials growth
• Device structures, fabrication, and modeling
• High-efficiency and compact power converters
• Advanced packaging and gate drive circuits
• Applications in EVs, renewable energy, aerospace, industrial automation, and more
• System design philosophies and future roadmap discussions

Tutorial proposals should include:

• A half-page description of the proposed topic
• A brief biography of the presenter(s)

Help Shape the Future of Wide Bandgap Power Electronics

Wide bandgap technologies are accelerating the transformation of modern power electronics, enabling higher efficiency, increased power density, and new levels of system performance across transportation, energy, computing, aerospace, industrial automation, and beyond. WiPDA 2026 offers a unique opportunity to engage with the engineers, researchers, and industry leaders driving these advancements from concept to commercialization.

Whether your work focuses on breakthrough device development, advanced packaging, converter innovation, reliability, manufacturing, or real-world system deployment, WiPDA 2026 provides a forum to exchange ideas, build collaborations, and stay connected to the rapidly evolving WBG ecosystem.

For submission guidelines, registration details, and the latest updates, visit: www.wipda.org

Organizations interested in increasing their visibility within the wide bandgap power electronics community are invited to explore sponsorship and exhibition opportunities at WiPDA 2026.

For more information or to become a sponsor, contact Douglas Merrill (Douglas.Merrill@uvm.edu)

Mark your calendar. Prepare your abstract. And join us in Vermont to help shape the future of power electronics.

"I truly appreciated the personalized nature of the program. Having a mentor like <name deleted for privacy>, who has deep experience in the industry, helped me navigate the massive scale of APEC with much more confidence. The insights into the "engineering world" and career advice were just as valuable as the technical discussions. The program effectively bridged the gap between being a student presenter and becoming a professional in the field." – Quote from student mentee that illustrates of the value of mentorship.

SMA created a mentorship program for APEC 2023 where every student mentee would have their own mentor. For APEC 2024 & 2025, we recruited student mentees from the student recipients of the Student Attendance Support (SAS) Program. For APEC 2026, we opened the program to all students attending APEC. Consequently, 37 students from 11 countries representing 31 different universities signed up for the mentorship program, and 36 unique mentors were matched to the mentees (with special thanks to those mentors who were willing to mentor two student mentees). Unfortunately, at the last minute, several mentors and mentees were unable to attend APEC, that brought the final participating count to 33 mentees and 34 mentors, which still broke all previous records!

This program is a great way for the power electronics community to support one another and build collaborative relationships especially between industry and academia. Several students requested an academic mentor so PSMA had to specifically recruit mentors from the academic community as many were unaware that they could participate as a mentor. Roughly 42% of mentors were from research which is another popular area of exploration for graduate students.

The mentorship program has six major objectives:

1. Take advantage of APEC
2. Explore career options & directions
3. Promote self & network (socially)
4. Meet subject matter experts
5. Introduce activities & events for PSMA, IAS & PELS
6. Have fun along the way

A key element of the program is to give mentees the opportunity to understand the true diversity of hardware, software, and system integration career options open related to power electronics in areas such as renewable energy, medical technology, environmental monitoring, industrial automation, smart mobility, data centers, Electric Vehicles, and Internet of Things. It gives them the opportunity to talk firsthand with people who have worked in a wide variety of roles and map out a suite of possible career paths in both industry and academia.

"Talking to my mentor was a very positive experience. Most of the times when working on a research topic we might not see if we're in the right direction for our careers and having my mentor share his experience made me understand how to better position myself in this scenario." – Quote from another student mentee.

Each mentee receives a mentor and a mentorship workbook with three separate phases: Pre-APEC, APEC, and Post-APEC, each containing multiple suggested activities.

To encourage mentees to try activities and attend events that they normally may have been reluctant to try, they would receive points. The students had to take the initiative to accumulate the most points.

Participant Recognition

Congratulations to the winner for APEC 2026:

• 1st Place ($500): Hongming Zhao, KU Leuven, Germany

Although PSMA has a $300 prize for second place and a $200 prize for third place, no other student mentee submitted their workbook to win despite extending the deadline. This is a classic example to share with future participants and a reminder that submitting their workbook is key to winner regardless of points. However, PSMA received positive feedback on the program, and several PSMA members noted active participation in the program. Consequently, all the mentees were "winners" in that they benefited from their mentorship and participation in APEC.

In addition, a mentee nominated their mentor for recognition:

• Jaume Roig – ON Semiconductor
• Bob White – Embedded Power Labs
  

Special thanks to the China Power Supply Society (CPSS) and Tyndall National Institute for providing the most mentors. Additionally, Apple deserves recognition for contributing the second-highest number of mentors. Hopefully, these affiliations and companies will inspire other companies to encourage mentorship at APEC. In fact, one mentor shared the following input. "More scheduled points of contact with Mentors."

Thanks to all other mentors who volunteered to guide our next generation of engineers!

Results

PSMA actively worked to improve the program for APEC 2026:

1. Worked with the APEC organizing committee to bring closer alignment with APEC (Special thanks to Alireza Safae for championing mentorship on the APEC organizing committee!) As a result, this student mentorship program was posted on the APEC website, the APEC website and app featured the kickoff meeting on how to get the most out of APEC, the APEC photographer captured the "class" photo for APEC 2026 above, etc.
2. Created a basic mentorship option vs. an immersive mentorship.
3. Added a prize raffle to those who gave feedback via a short survey.
4. Added a Special Request field to mentees and mentors' applications for language preferences, focus areas, etc.
5. Expanded the Mentorship room as a dedicated and quiet location for mentors and mentees to meet within an unfamiliar destination. In addition to posting several career options in the room to spark more discussion, we added several articles of interest and actual job postings from PSMA members who renewed their memberships before APEC.

This is just a summary of our mentorship efforts. Consider joining the PSMA Industry-Education Committee to help shape the mentorship program going forward. Contact power@psma.com to get on the invite list for the next committee meeting.

Here is what one student mentee had to say about the APEC mentorship program:
"Compared to traditional academic mentorship, the PSMA program feels much more practical and industry-aligned. The direct access to industry veterans in a professional setting is a unique advantage that I haven't seen in other university-led programs." As a result, 92% of both mentees and mentors would recommend this mentorship program to their colleagues and friends. The success of this program over the years encouraged PSMA to extend a slimmer version to the Workshop on Wide Bandgap Devices and Applications (WiPDA) in celebration of PSMA's 40th anniversary in 2025.

Success Story

A previous first place winner and APEC Rising Star from the Class of APEC 2024, Yijie Qian from Southeast University, of this mentorship program received a job offer at APEC 2026 by networking! Moreover, as a previous mentee, he mentored a student at APEC 2026 despite still being a student himself. Furthermore, his mentor from APEC 2024 encouraged others at his affiliation to be mentors, and his affiliation ultimately contributed the most mentors to the Class of APEC 2026! What started as a positive mentorship experience at APEC 2024 has really blossomed for both.

Student Mentorship Program Maintains APEC's Premier Status

This one-on-one mentorship program is unique to APEC (and WiPDA). While other conferences have one-to-many mentorship programs, such as coaching or roundtables, this mentorship program offers mentors an opportunity to give back to the community that has empowered their careers by focusing on the needs of a single student. The mentorship workbook guides students with advice and supports APEC activities and events to augment the mentorship experience. Although PSMA funds and runs the program, mentors and mentees do not have to be members of PSMA; provided that they attend APEC. This mentorship program is another way that PSMA supports APEC as the premier power electronics conference globally.

Interested in becoming a mentor for WiPDA 2026 or APEC 2027? Contact mentors@psma.com.

SMA created the Student Attendance Support Program at APEC 2006. The program reimburses up to $1,000 of attendance expenses for up to 60 students.

By APEC 2012, the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS) and the Power Electronics Society (PELS), the other sponsors of APEC, had joined in co-sponsoring this novel (at the time) program. Since then, IEEE has created several travel grant programs (as IEEE calls them) at other conferences.

From an APEC perspective, the SAS program encourages main or first-author students to present their work at APEC rather than a substitute (such as their advisor or another student). This strengthens the conference experience for attendee interaction with first authors.

From the student perspective: the SAS program encourages students to begin a career in power electronics, join the APEC community, and join APEC sponsors such as the PSMA, IEEE IAS, & IEEE PELS. Furthermore, students gain insights from direct questions and input from attendees. Finally, students receive their reimbursements in a timely manner as they simply need to go to the PSMA booth at APEC to submit their expenses and receive their reimbursements on the spot.

The 2026 program got a strong start as the official APEC channels sent a deadline reminder that the deadline would not be extended. As a result, PSMA received a record-breaking 225 raw applications with 193 qualified applicants (about 86% of applicants)! Since roughly 600 students attended APEC 2026, about a third applied for attendance support. The SAS selection committee (which consists of representatives from each sponsor) had a tough job selecting only 60 recipients from this applicant pool. PSMA thanks the sponsor representatives for selecting the recipients in a fair and quick manner.

Students were encouraged to prepare for travel readiness early to avoid withdrawing due to passport issues, visa delays, etc. Nonetheless, seven selected recipients were not actually able to attend APEC at the last minute, so they are not entitled to receive reimbursement. Consequently, the final recipients came from 15 various countries and 50 different universities.

In addition, student applicants were encouraged to join the PSMA Student Mentorship at APEC 2026 program as a mentee (see more details on this program in a separate article in this newsletter). In the end, 20 recipients signed as mentees (roughly 38% of all SAS recipients were mentees, and 61% of all mentees were SAS recipients), so there are still a lot of synergies between the two programs.

Since there is a significant difference in registration rates between IEEE student registration ($450-575) and non-member student registration ($850-1150 = early non-member registration), PSMA encouraged recipients to join IEEE, as student membership is generally less than $50 (depending on the country), so students can stretch their reimbursement allotment. In addition, students were encouraged to attend APEC events, including speaker breakfasts, lunches on the exhibition floor, and the Wednesday night social event.

Most importantly, the PSMA is pleased to recognize the final 53 Student Attendance Support recipients for APEC 2026:

Students with a * by their name also won a best presentation award for their work. Congratulations to all the recipients!

Students receiving support expressed their gratitude and appreciation. Despite the record number of applications the program went smoothly. Students felt the online application process was easy, the instructions were clear and easy to understand, and the reimbursement options were convenient (and quick). The most common advice to future applicants is to apply early.

Looking ahead, the co-sponsors have agreed to increase the amount of support per student for APEC 2027 by 25% to $1,250 while maintaining 60 total recipients! This is the first increase in support funding per student since the program began (with special thanks to Jose Ortiz Gonzalez from the APEC organizing committee for his assistance in getting the other co-sponsors to agree to the increase). Although the three sponsors fund the program equally, PSMA still handles the logistics of running the program.

The Student Attendance Support Program is unique to APEC. Some travel award programs are strictly limited to travel expenses, so registration fees are not covered. Furthermore, no other conference supports up to 60 recipients, which is only about 10% of the student population that attends such a large conference as APEC. This means that students have a much higher probability of receiving attendance support at APEC than at other conferences, encouraging greater student participation. As a co-sponsor of both APEC and the Student Attendance Support Program, PSMA is proud to do its part to make sure that APEC remains the premier power electronics conference globally.

he PSMA takes its sponsorship of APEC seriously. Not only has PSMA taken the financial risk for funding APEC each year, but it also proactively contributes to its growth, and ensures that APEC remains the premier power electronics conference. In fact, it is the 4th largest IEEE conference globally. Although there are many ways PSMA supports APEC, we will focus on a few key areas: attendees, students, young professionals, women in engineering, practical content, and exhibition.

Attendees

To encourage more attendees, PSMA offers a registration discount to ALL employees of each member company. This means that engineers and other employees who need access to technical information such marketing, sales, manufacturing, quality, reliability, managers, etc. In fact, the registration discount is so significant that if at least 9-15 employees attend APEC, then it more than fully covers the annual PSMA membership dues!

To encourage attendees to remain in the exhibition hall and get to know PSMA member companies, PSMA created a Passport to Prizes game in the APEC app. Attendees simply scan a QR code at a PSMA member booth and answer a question to get a virtual stamp in their "passport." On Wednesday, the participating attendees may win prizes.

For attendees of technical sessions, PSMA proposed a "Best Presentation Award" for the authors, as especially students tended to spend more time on their papers for archival purposes rather than on their presentation at APEC. This motivation helps authors understand that it is important to share their research with paying attendees and get inputs on their research. In addition, PSMA encouraged the organizing committee to share about this award criteria with presenters before APEC rather than at APEC so that presenters will have time to improve their presentations.

A common problem for attendees who are excited to see a particular speaker or topic is when the speaker fails to show up or sends an inadequate substitute in their place. To minimize this, PSMA encouraged the APEC organizing committee to remind speakers to prepare their travel documents early (such as when submitting their digests or when the digests are accepted) so they have time to address passport or visa issues.

Students

PSMA sponsors several programs aimed at students, as the next generation of engineers in a career in power electronics.

Student Attendance Support (SAS) Program
PSMA pioneered this program at APEC 2006 that reimburses students up to $1,000 of attending APEC expenses. It has now grown to accept 60 recipients with the IEEE Industry Applications Society (IAS) and the IEEE Power Electronics Society (PELS) as co-sponsors. This program is not only key to getting main student authors to present their work at APEC for better attendee questions and input, but also encourages students in their career in power electronics, join IEEE (and PSMA), and support APEC. Furthermore, no other conference supports up to 60 recipients (about 10% of the student attendees at APEC) so students have the highest probability of receiving support at APEC than at other conferences. For more details on this program, the recipients, and the results at APEC 2026, see the "APEC 2026 Student Attendance Support (SAS) Program" article elsewhere is in this issue of the newsletter.

Student Mentorship Program
PSMA created this one-on-one mentorship program at APEC 2023. At APEC 2026, PSMA expanded the program so any student attendee could sign up as mentees (previously only the SAS recipients were invited to sign up). Any attendee (from academia or industry) could sign up as a mentor, no PSMA membership required.

As an added benefit to PSMA members who renewed membership before APEC, junior job postings were placed on the wall of the mentorship room at APEC so students could see actual job opportunities.

For more details on this program and the results at APEC 2026, see the "APEC 2026 Student Mentorships" article elsewhere in this issue of the newsletter.

International Future Energy Challenge (IFEC)
This competition held their semifinals in San Antonio on the Sunday of APEC. Typically, the undergraduate teams present their work. PSMA gets to motivate the students at an early and short keynote. In addition, Brian Zahnstecher was a judge from the PSMA. Often this competition is the first taste that undergraduate students have toward a career in power electronics.

PSMA Internship Program
Newly launched in 2026, PSMA sponsors an inaugural internship program to encourage students to take part in the following PSMA committees:

• Energy Harvesting,
• Energy Management,
• Magnetics,
• Semiconductor

Three students were accepted. Students are expected to attend and participate in committee meetings. Every two months these student interns will provide a report with their inputs and proposals. PSMA will sponsor the winning student up to $2,000 in reimbursement to attend APEC 2027 in New Orleans to give their final report. For more details, see here: psma.com/technical-forums/education/mentoring.

Young Professionals

PSMA co-sponsored YP efforts financially, but PSMA will take the lead in hosting the YP event at APEC 2027. The majority of active PSMA participants are no longer YPs. As senior professionals, they can offer practical advice and mentorship.

Women in Engineering (WIE)

PSMA co-sponsored WIE efforts financially and with resources. Then PSMA President, now PSMA Chair, Renee Yawger, even posted on LinkedIn to promote WIE's inaugural travel grant at APEC 2026.

PSMA also posted on LinkedIn after APEC in support of the new WIE networking event.

At PSMA, several women are already take leading roles and responsibility in moving the power electronics industry forward. Consequently, they are role models and mentors for others.

Practical Content

Furthermore, PSMA hosts two pre-conference workshops on magnetics and on capacitors. These highly focused workshops bring leading experts to share findings and offer practical insights on these components which normally receive less attention. These early workshops encourage attendees to arrive earlier to avoid travel delays.

PSMA created the Industry Sessions (originally called special presentation sessions) to augment the content at APEC. Otherwise, the focus would remain only on research. Now invited speakers can present on key applications or practical advice that normally would not be accepted as a technical research paper. These information-packed sessions keep the "applied" in the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) name.

Various PSMA committees create, organize and ran 13 industry sessions at APEC 2026. In addition, PSMA worked with PELS to jointly host 2 other industry sessions for a sub total of 15 sessions out of a total 30 industry sessions!

PSMA created the Power Technology Roadmap (PTR) which highlights various forward-looking trends. Typically, PSMA shares about the roadmap at an APEC plenary at regular intervals (roughly every three years). Regardless the work on the PTR inspires the topics and speakers for the industry sessions and vice versa. Consequently, there is some synergy between the two to strengthen both.

Furthermore, many PSMA members work in the background to help with various conference logistics. For instance, some members help with paper reviews and organizing papers into the technical sessions. Another example, some will chair technical sessions. As chairs, they not only introduce the authors as speakers and run the question-and-answer periods after each speaker, but they also have input on the Best Presentation Awards for each session. The best example is that several members are part of the organizing committee for each APEC.

Exhibition

The exhibition is a key part of making APEC great as it provides balance with the exciting and innovative research in the technical sessions with the state of the art that is commercially available for purchase. This balance is vital to growing APEC's impact as exhibitors are practically guaranteed highly technical and engineering-centric participants. Furthermore, exhibitors have a wonderful forum for demonstrating their technical leadership.

At one point, the two exhibition co-chairs on the organizing committee were not from exhibiting companies. Decisions were made without exhibitor input, and exhibitors were understandably upset. For example, the prize raffle which is intended to keep attendees in the exhibition hall, changed the rules such that the winner did not have to be in the exhibition hall to win so that it no longer fulfills its intended purpose. PSMA gave input to correct these decisions and to prevent further awkward decisions, the PSMA added a third co-chair from an exhibiting company.

PSMA sponsors the Passport to Prizes game (as described earlier) on the APEC app to drive attendee traffic to PSMA members' booths.

PSMA sponsors the Global Energy Efficiency Award at the exhibition floor of APEC as another way to keep attendees at the exhibition.

The SAS recipients are encouraged to visit the PSMA booth on the exhibition floor to receive their reimbursements. Again, this adds to the exhibition attendance.

Student mentees are encouraged to determine which exhibitors they plan to visit so they will research exhibitors beforehand to ask meaningful questions.

Exhibitors typically give out a trinket as a memento of their brand. PSMA as a leader in the power electronics industry gave out complimentary professional headshots which does not require extra space in attendee baggage, is useful in making a first impression on social media, speaker biographies, resumes, website, and other professional materials. This is a meaningful and environmentally friendly conference giveaway.

Finally, exhibitors are encouraged to take advantage of PSMA member registration discounts to encourage booth staff to attend various sessions.

Thought Provoking Future

These are just some examples of how PSMA is a good sponsor of APEC with thoughtful actions in addition to financial support. Over time, the culmination of all these little actions add up to a better APEC. Hopefully this article inspires thoughts on how we can further improve on APEC (and our power electronics industry) going forward. APEC (and the PSMA) will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2030 at Portland, OR. Join us in addressing any gaps or shortfalls in APEC. Together we can help grow APEC and the Power Electronics Industry. Perhaps by the 45th anniversary, APEC will be the largest IEEE conference in the world.

This was published in the January 2026 issue of How2Power Today, available online at www.how2power.com/newsletters/index.php.

everal years ago, buying a market research report was simple: you paid a reputable firm, and you received credible, data-driven analysis. Companies such as Dataquest, IHS, Yole, Gartner, Forrester, WSTS, Nielsen, and McKinsey shaped strategy across the technology sector. Their reports were trusted, rigorous, and—crucially—authored by analysts with deep domain knowledge.

Today, the landscape looks very different.

A Surge In Report Mills

The market research industry is now flooded with what insiders call research mills—firms that generate low-quality reports very quickly in 23 to 36 hours sometimes in high volume, often using scraped public data, AI-generated text, and recycled content. These "reports" are then marketed aggressively through SEO campaigns, mass email blasts, and flashy websites designed to mimic legitimate firms.

Many of these organizations appear to operate from virtual offices or mail drop locations in the USA—if they even claim to have sites in the Americas. But more likely they are operating in far off lands. Prices are negotiable, often falling from an initial asking price of several thousand dollars to a few hundred with minimal pushback from the customer. And they will happily produce a report on any topic—no matter how obscure— Semiconductors or screwdrivers, no problem. What's the difference?

For instance, if they offer a report on the wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor market, ask them instead for a study on the global accordion market or snow-cone machine industry. (I tried it to see what would happen and they quoted it and promised delivery after a wire transfer, of course.) Ask for a discount, and the price drops instantly. In every respect, the sales process resembles flea market haggling—not a transaction with a research institution. So, what happened to the honorable report and analyst profession?

Consolidation At The Top

While the bottom end of the industry expands, the top tier of established and reputable marketing research firms is shrinking or transforming through mergers and acquisitions:

• IHS Markit merged with S&P Global in 2022.
• Forrester is undergoing restructuring after recording an $83.9 million goodwill impairment in early 2025.
• Kantar is being broken up and sold off by its private-equity owners.
• Dynata, a major research provider, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024.
• Nielsen has been split, with NielsenIQ now owned by a private equity firm—that must be fun.

These shifts reflect mounting financial pressure. Corporate clients increasingly push for lower prices, and many are cutting research budgets, forgoing purchase of market reports altogether.

The Perfect Conditions For Counterfeit "Insight"

Several forces have opened the door for fraudulent or low-quality research:

• Low barriers to entry: Anyone can launch a "research firm" with a website, a room full of cheap labor, templates and AI tools.
• Rising demand: Small and mid-sized companies want market data but cannot afford the fees asked by premium firms. In today's business world everyone needs more data to do anything and everything. Yet, with organizations run by finance and operations, typically they want to pay little to nothing for the data. And management today cannot discern the bird seed from the bird droppings. But the insatiable desire for more data is there. Management also says you can't make any decision without more data!
• Internal corporate incentives: Some managers seek reports that confirm pre-chosen strategies rather than challenge them. If a marketing person already has their mind made up on a particular plan of action and are looking for data to support it, the scammer will certainly tailor their report to meet that need. "Just make sure it says this and that and I will pay you." It's the scammers scamming the scammer. I am almost certain this is going on these days, so that the purchaser can justify their strategy to their management: "But boss, we bought a market report!"
• Advances in AI: AI makes it easy to generate pages of plausible-sounding analysis quickly reducing the number of low-cost humans needed! A bonus for the scammers—cost reduction.
• Survey fraud: Industry analysts estimate that fraudulent survey responses, bots, and fake interviews cost the industry $350 million in 2024.[3] We can assume that figure has grown since then.

The result of all these factors is a marketplace where real insights compete with counterfeits.

How Fake Reports Cause Real Damage

Poor-quality reports do more than waste money. They distort decision-making.

Companies risk launching products into nonexistent or distorted markets, misjudging competitors, budgeting based on inaccurate forecasts, or citing misleading data in investor presentations.

In extreme cases, knowingly (or unknowingly) using fabricated data to justify strategic decisions could violate fiduciary responsibilities at publicly traded companies.

Spotting A Scam

Experts recommend several checks before buying any report:

• Verify the source. Legitimate firms such as Gartner, IDC, WSTS, S&P Global, Yole, McKinsey, and Deloitte explain their methodology, cite primary research, maintain a public track record and have industry involvement.
• Look for transparent methodology. Authentic reports describe data sources, sample sizes, forecasting models, and assumptions. Fake ones appear transparent and sound true, but they are not. Sometimes the fakes are quite good in appearance but lack the documentation on methodology.
• Examine the authorship. Credible analysts have biographies and industry experience over time in your area of interest with track records, published work, expertise and industry conference participation. In other words, they have a footprint of involvement with the industry you are interested in. If they can say they report on the AI processor market or bowling pins with the same high competence, beware.
• Scrutinize the numbers. Be wary of overly precise CAGRs, perfectly round forecasts, or projections that contradict established industry data or even common sense.
• Test credibility. Ask for sample pages. Compare them with reputable research. Seek reviews or contact past buyers. Look for the proven track record of success. If there is not one, run.
• Watch for red flags. Reports available on every obscure topic, negotiable prices, high pressure tactics, requests for wire transfers and unconventional payment methods or offices located only in low-cost markets are signs of a report mill. Ask to use a corporate purchasing card and watch them refuse. If you find you have been taken, you can dispute a credit card charge. They can't have that!

The Bigger Picture

The rise of counterfeit research mirrors the broader surge in counterfeit goods worldwide. The OECD has warned that fake products—and now, fake information—undermine trust, distort markets, and damage legitimate businesses.

The research mills operate because the model works. Companies keep buying. Budgets are tight. AI and a building of low-cost labor on computers make it easy for the scammers to pivot whenever they are exposed. When trouble catches up with them, research mills just re-open under a new name at a new location.

The Bottom Line

Market research once guided billion-dollar decisions with authority and credibility. Today, the signal is harder to separate from the noise. As report mills multiply and premium research firms consolidate, buyers must be more vigilant than ever. I encourage you to review the references provided below which have even more information and thoughts on how to not be ripped off by the scammers. Some are both informative and humorous especially one where they asked for a market report on the "time machine market" and got a response!

While the pressure to obtain marketing data quickly and on a limited budget can make the phony marketing reports tempting, doing your due diligence now and investing in legitimate research from reputable sources could very well save your business both time and money later. The old saying, let the buyer beware is very true in the report market.

References

1. "The Rise of Research Mills and How They Undermine Good Data" by Crystal White, Think Ink, July 9, 2025.
2. "How to identify a market research fraudster" by Aaron Small, Tremendous, October 30, 2025.
3. "7 ways to protect your market research data from fraud" by Zach Links, Tremendous, October 3, 2025.
4. "Exposing the hidden world of market research fraud" by Kapil Kale and Kate Monica, Tremendous, October 11, 2024.
5. "Beware Scam Market 'Research'" by John Honovich, IPVM, March 30, 2018.
6. "Should you buy that research report mentioning your company?" cactix B2B Marketing Agency, February 23, 2024.
7. "Grand view research report," post on Reddit.com.
8. "Are market reports from pages like Marketsandmarkets, Mordor Intelligence, Grand View Research, etc. reliable?" post on Reddit.com.
9. "Market Research Scam Companies," post on Reddit.com.
10."Risks of Illicit Trade in Counterfeits to Small and Medium-Sized Firms," OECD website.
11. "Tech Marketers Beware: the Rise of 'Research Mills' and the Eternal Disappointment of Time Machines," Alloy blog, February 20, 2020.

About The Author

Kevin Parmenter is an IEEE Senior Member and has over 30 years of experience in the electronics and semiconductor industry. Kevin is currently the leader of Pins Out Engineering, a consulting firm providing expert consulting across power electronics, semiconductor applications, and technical sales and go-to-market execution. Previously, he served as director of Field Applications Engineering North America for Taiwan Semiconductor. Other past roles include vice president of applications engineering in the U.S.A. for Excelsys, an Advanced Energy company; director of Advanced Technical Marketing for Digital Power Products at Exar; and various positions in management and applications engineering at leading semiconductor companies. Kevin also has design engineering experience in the medical electronics and military electronics fields.

In addition, Kevin has served on the board of directors of the PSMA (Power Sources Manufacturers Association) and was the general chair of APEC 2009 (the IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference). He holds a BSEE and BS in Business Administration, is a member of the IEEE, and holds an Amateur Extra class FCC license (call sign KG5Q) as well as an FCC Commercial Radiotelephone License.

If you or anyone in your company is interested in getting on the distribution list for future issues of PSMA UPDATE, please send e-mail to: power@psma.com. Be sure to include your name and the name of your company.