Infineon Technologies North America announced a milestone achieved by the Power Electronics Industry Collaborative (PEIC), an organization initiated by Infineon, which received a $500,000 U.S. government grant to study the nation’s power electronics ecosystem and make recommendations to improve its competitive position. The grant was awarded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as part of its Advanced Manufacturing Technology Consortia (AMTech) Program, which supports efforts by industry-driven consortia to advance U.S. innovation and manufacturing.
Founded in 2012, the PEIC was established in an effort led by Infineon to encourage pre-competitive technology research, workforce development programs and public policy initiatives in support of the power electronics industry in the U.S. Reflecting the value of the collaborative approach, membership of the PEIC has grown from a core group of automotive industry members to include advanced materials and systems companies, power semiconductor providers, research laboratories and academic institutions.
“Infineon’s role in the formation of the PEIC began in discussions with both government officials and industry participants about the importance of power electronics in helping to solve both national and global challenges,” said Jean-Baptiste Loire, president of Infineon Technologies North America. “The members of the collaborative share a common vision to strengthen the ability of US-operating organizations to drive global innovation in power electronics.”
While it is generally acknowledged that energy efficiency is one of the greatest energy resources available to mankind, the critical role of power electronics is not as well known. Improvements to efficiency in transportation and consumer electronics, as well as energy production, storage and transmission, relies in large part on continued advances in electronic systems used to control electrical energy. Infineon supplies core semiconductor-based technology used in thousands of power electronics products.
The grant funds a two-year project in which the PEIC will conduct a thorough analysis of the power electronics industry supply and value chains to assess its current status and competitive position, and to develop detailed roadmaps to strengthen the domestic power electronics ecosystem. NextEnergy, a Detroit-based non-profit organization, will conduct much of the research and analysis.
Infineon Technologies
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