From Powering the Shift to PCIM 2026: Power Design Interrupters Engineers Aren’t Ignoring and Key Applications in Focus
Throughout Avnet Silica’s 'Powering the Shift: On the Road' series, one pattern became clear very quickly. Regardless of location, application focus, or supplier perspective, the conversations were not centred on whether new power technologies should be adopted. That decision has largely been made.
Instead, the discussion has shifted decisively towards implementation. Whether considering new technologies or new applications, engineers are now dealing with practical realities and designing systems that can operate efficiently under increasingly complex conditions. Among these discussions, a number of recurring themes consistently prompted deeper technical debate. These design-level “interrupters” capture engineers’ curiosity and force them to reassess established approaches.
As the industry moves towards PCIM 2026, let’s explore how these interrupters, alongside broader electrification applications, are set to shape the conversations ahead.
Interrupters at a Glance
#1 SiC Top-Side Cooling Moves Thermal Design
SiC top-side cooling came up repeatedly across discussions, and always in a similar context. This is an area where interest is clearly high, but where practical implementation is still being worked on.
#2 Bi-Directional GaN Today, Vertical GaN Tomorrow
Like SiC, Gallium nitride (GaN) came up frequently, and the shift in conversation is similar. It is no longer about the material itself, but about what it unlocks at system level and how it reshapes power stage design.
#3 The Return of DC Link Thinking
Not a new idea for engineers working in industrial power, but new devices, better control, and increasing pressure to improve system efficiency are making the approach more relevant across a wider range of applications.
Interrupter #1: SiC Top-Side Cooling Moves Thermal Design into the Critical Path
SiC top-side cooling came up repeatedly across discussions, and always in a similar context. It is an area where interest is clearly high, but where practical implementation is still being worked on.
For most engineers, the potential benefits are well understood. By shifting heat extraction to the top of the device, designers can shorten the thermal path and enable higher power density, particularly in applications where traditional bottom-cooled approaches are already being pushed to their limits.
In practice, however, it introduces a different set of design considerations. Top-side cooling changes how the thermal stack is constructed, requiring more deliberate mechanical integration between the device and the cooling solution. Rather than relying on established mounting approaches, engineers are having to pay closer attention to how to deliver controlled pressure application and uniform contact across the package surface.
Attendees for Avnet Silica's Powering the Shift event in Munich pose for a photo in the Allianz Arena stand
Thermal interface materials (TIMs) also take on a more critical role in this configuration, and it is not just a question of thermal conductivity, but of long-term stability under cycling, resistance to pump-out, and consistency of the interface over time. Engineers are having to get up to speed on manufacturers recommendations for phase-change materials or engineered pads in place of conventional approaches.
There is a growing recognition that static thermal assumptions are no longer sufficient on their own. With faster switching behaviour and higher localised power densities, dynamic thermal effects become more relevant, and it becomes important to consider how the system behaves at application level rather than relying purely on datasheet values. From a layout perspective, the interaction between electrical and thermal domains is also more tightly coupled, with decisions around current paths and packaging influencing thermal behaviour in ways that are not always intuitive.
Top-side cooled SiC represents a shift in how thermal design is approached, which is clearly being felt by engineers. For this reason, we are seeing suppliers, such as ROHM and STMicroelectronics, putting greater focus on not just device innovation, but also reference designs and guidance on how these solutions behave in real systems – something that will be a key talking point at PCIM 2026.
Interrupter #2: Bi-Directional GaN Today, Vertical GaN Tomorrow
Like SiC, Gallium nitride (GaN) came up frequently, and the shift in conversation is similar. It is no longer about the material itself, but about what it unlocks at system level and how it reshapes power stage design.
For engineers, that opens up new ways to simplify power paths, particularly in applications where reducing stages or removing discrete components can have a direct impact on efficiency and system complexity. While it stops short of a true ‘ideal switch’, bi-directional GaN offers a meaningful opportunity to simplify architectures, provided it is applied with a clear understanding of the system.
This shift in conversation reflects a broader change in where GaN now sits in the design landscape. As devices mature and voltage ranges continue to expand, with GaN now well established around the 650 V class and extending into higher-voltage devices, it is moving beyond its initial use cases and into areas where architectural decisions start to matter more than incremental efficiency gains.
Avnet Silica and leading power supplier colleagues pose for a photo during the Istanbul Powering the Shift event
At the same time, there is a better understanding across the industry of how these devices behave in real systems, supported by improved models, reference designs, and application experience. It is this combination that is bringing bi-directional capability into focus now as the surrounding ecosystem is mature enough for engineers to seriously consider how it can be applied at system level.
This maturity is also exposing some constraints, meaning more attention on gate driving, timing, and overall system behaviour, particularly in designs where operating conditions are less predictable. At higher switching speeds, design decisions start to have a much greater influence on performance than they would in more traditional designs. In several discussions, this came back to the same point: the power device itself is rarely the limiting factor, it is how it is implemented within the system.
Alongside this, vertical GaN continues to appear in conversations. There is understandable interest, as it points towards extending GaN into higher-voltage domains, but it remains an emerging area where practical implementation is still some way off.
Interrupter #3: The Return of DC Link Thinking
Industrial DC bus architectures are an area of serious focus as electrification, automation, and higher power density push more systems towards efficient, interconnected power distribution. This is not a new idea for engineers working in industrial power, but new devices, better control, and increasing pressure to improve system efficiency are making the approach more relevant across a wider range of applications.
At a basic level, a DC link, or industrial DC bus, allows power to be distributed across multiple loads, converters, drives, and storage elements through a shared DC architecture. Rather than converting power repeatedly between AC and DC at different points in the system, a shared bus can reduce conversion stages, improve efficiency, and simplify how energy moves between subsystems.
This becomes particularly valuable in environments where power is no longer flowing in only one direction. In industrial automation, motor control, robotics, energy storage, and renewable integration, systems increasingly need to consume, recover, store, and redistribute energy dynamically. A DC bus provides a more flexible foundation for that kind of energy management, especially as bidirectional power flow becomes more important.
onsemi colleague delivers a power presentation during the Bologna Powering the Shift event
The renewed interest also reflects the wider shift in power electronics. Technologies such as SiC and GaN are allowing engineers to push switching speed, power density, and efficiency further, but they also increase the need to think architecturally. The opportunity is not just to replace one device with another, but to reconsider how power is distributed and controlled across the whole system.
However, there are trade-offs, and managing a DC bus at higher voltages introduces challenges around protection, stability, isolation, and control, particularly where loads are dynamic or distributed.
This same thinking is also starting to find a new home in AI data centres. With rack-level power already pushing beyond 100 kW, and 400 V and 800 V DC distribution now being discussed in the context of future AI infrastructure, the parallels with industrial DC bus design are becoming clearer. For PCIM 2026, the important conversation is less about whether DC bus architectures can offer benefits, and more about how they are implemented safely and effectively at system level.
Connecting the Interrupters: Why System-Level Thinking Shapes the Ecosystem
Across all three interrupters, power density is growing, efficiency margins are tightening, and the boundaries between thermal, electrical, and control domains are becoming more blurred. As a result, design decisions are no longer being made in isolation; they are being made at the system level, where trade-offs span multiple components and disciplines.
However, what is becoming clear is that while these challenges are more widely shared, how they are addressed is not uniform, and this is where application context begins to define the solution.
Applications: Power Is Everywhere, but Not Uniform in Approach
Electrification is expanding rapidly across industries, with key applications (beyond AI power) coming into focus, which will undoubtedly be reflected at PCIM 2026.
Agriculture
Agriculture is a good example of where these dynamics are becoming more visible, and is an area Avnet Silica will be exploring at PCIM 2026. Rather than full electrification of large machinery such as tractors, which remains constrained by battery energy density, there is growing interest in smaller, task-specific electric vehicles that better reflect how equipment is actually used in the field.
For engineers, agricultural electrification brings a difficult set of requirements. Durability becomes a primary concern, often exceeding typical automotive expectations, particularly in environments where equipment is exposed to dust, moisture, and mechanical stress over long operating cycles.
However, it also opens up new opportunities. Greater automation and robotics are one, but there is also the possibility to explore how bidirectional power flow could allow agricultural vehicles to act as distributed energy assets, using onboard batteries to balance grid services, while generating new value for their owners.
Automotive and Mobility
In automotive and mobility, development continues, but the picture is more evolutionary than disruptive. For EV OEMs, the focus remains on improving efficiency, extending range, and reducing system cost by optimising powertrain architectures, increasing integration, and improving thermal and energy management across the system.
There is also ongoing development beyond typical cars. Two-wheel mobility is attracting interest as a more accessible entry point for electrification and new innovations, while autonomous systems continue to push requirements around power reliability and system integration. Both bring different constraints, but reflect how electrification is expanding.
Next Stop, PCIM 2026!
The Avnet Silica PCIM team (2025)
The Powering the Shift Tour gave us a real opportunity to get closer to the engineering community. While we were there to share insight alongside our suppliers, it was just as valuable to hear directly what engineers are working through and where the real challenges sit.
PCIM 2026 will be the next point where these ideas come together, with a sharper focus on how they are implemented in real designs. It also provides an opportunity to continue those conversations in person, with Avnet Silica bringing together suppliers, technologies, and system-level insight as these challenges continue to evolve.
PCIM Europe 2026 takes place in Nuremberg from 9-11 June. You can find out more about Avnet Silica’s presence at the show here.
