Power
Smarter Power Solutions with Expertise and Tailored Support
Useful jump links
- Power technologies
- Power applications
- Power suppliers
- Power products
- Power expertise and support
- Power resources
There is a tectonic shift taking place. A shift in the way we generate and store energy. A shift in the way we power devices. Technology is shifting. Consumer needs are shifting.
Avnet Silica is helping its customers make the shift to power their applications with smarter, cleaner and more reliable technologies. But how?
- Power expertise - We have highly skilled power specialists across EMEA. Our experts bring insights that extend beyond the datasheet, availability and price. The combined experience within our network covers thousands of projects across different customers, markets, regions, and technologies.
- Products for every need - We have all the key products you need for power growth and efficiency. Whether you need wide bandgap SiC or GaN MOSFETs, more traditional IGBTs, or power packaging, we’ve got every power product covered.
- World-class suppliers - We are proud to partner with leading power suppliers, bringing innovative power products to market. Choosing which supplier to work with isn’t just about the technology, but also knowing which supplier will be best for your exact situation - your size, your production volume, your location, the level of technical support you might require, and more.
- System solutions - We provide expert guidance and access to specialised third-party services for testing, certification, and evaluation, helping you deliver smarter, cleaner, and more efficient designs.
Innovative power technologies
Our key power technologies include:
- DC-DC Converters: High-efficiency, compact solutions ideal for industrial, automotive, and communication systems.
- AC-DC Power Supplies: Reliable, energy-efficient power supplies for industrial, medical and consumer electronics.
- Power MOSFETs & IGBTs: Low-loss, high-speed switching solutions for power conversion, motor control, and other high-power applications.
- Power Management ICs: Advanced control and regulation for optimising energy use and heat management.
- Wide Bandgap Semiconductors (GaN & SiC): Cutting-edge materials for high-efficiency, high-performance switching in demanding applications.
- Battery Management Systems: Intelligent, scalable solutions to monitor and protect battery systems for maximum performance.
Whether you're designing for energy efficiency, high power density, or reliable performance, Avnet Silica's power technologies and expertise can drive your next innovation.
SiC, GaN, IGBT and MOSFETs
Increasing demand for power is accelerating innovation within power semiconductors. While traditional technologies like IGBTs and MOSFETs continue to be widely used, there's growing interest in newer wide bandgap semiconductors like Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN).
With greater power demand coming from all sectors, wide bandgap technologies are allowing products to perform to a higher specification (and higher power and voltage) than those based on traditional Silicon. These technologies offer significant advantages in terms of efficiency, power density, and switching speed.
That’s not to say that SiC and GaN devices will be the answer in every situation. IGBTs and MOSFETs still have their place, especially in lower power applications. However, as power demands continue to rise, wide bandgap technologies are becoming increasingly attractive.
There's a lot to consider when adopting these new technologies, and we're here to help you with that.
Considering power earlier in the design process
When engineers are designing new products, powering the device can often come as an afterthought. As our power engineers would tell you, there are good reasons to consider power earlier in the process. In the past, the power element may have been fairly straightforward. But with the increased focus on energy efficiency, the shift to renewables, and the electrification of transport and industry, there’s a new breed of applications where power is at the very core of the design.
These applications include:
- E-mobility
- Electric Vehicles
- Energy Management
- EV Charging
- Healthcare
- Industrial automation
- Artificial Intelligence (Data centres)
- Solar PVs
- Wind power
- Heat pumps
And so many more...
A wide selection gives you the power to choose
Build or buy? Custom design or off-the-shelf supply? These are some of the questions you’ll consider as you design power into your system. Avnet Silica's broad offering gives you the ability to weigh the power solution options with our team and decide what works best for you.
View Linecard
An extensive power supplier portfolio
We are proud to partner with the following suppliers bringing innovative power products to market.
Together with our supplier partners, we offer a broad portfolio of power products, including:
- Innovative Si, SiC and GaN technologies
- Industrial and automotive certified products
- High voltage ratings
- High temperature ratings
- A range of packaging options
Choosing which supplier to work with isn’t just about the technology, but also knowing which supplier will be best for your exact situation - your size, your production volume, your location, the level of technical support you might require, and more. These are all factors we take into consideration to make the right recommendations for you.
Products to meet all your power requirements
From the latest wide bandgap technologies to more traditional power management and power conversion, we offer a full range of products to meet your power needs, including:
The right team of experts to help you
We've designed our business around helping you make the right decisions. From our team of FAEs, power engineers and market segment experts to the suppliers and third parties we work with.
Our experts bring insights that extend beyond the datasheet, availability and price. The combined experience contained within our network covers thousands of projects across different customers, markets, regions and technologies. And we will pull together the right team from our collective expertise to focus on your application, providing valuable ideas and recommendations to improve your product and accelerate its journey from the initial concept out into the world.
Make the right call
From our power specialists and FAEs to our suppliers, our portfolio, and decades of experience helping thousands of customers across different sectors and technologies – it really all comes down to this: providing you with the right insight and expertise when you need it most, so you can make the right decisions for your product, your market and your business.
We’ve invested heavily in our resources, and deliberately designed our business to help you make the right decisions, so you get:
- The right idea
- The right product
- The right technology
- The right supplier partner
That’s really what we bring to the table.
Everything we do around that is designed to help you succeed in the marketplace, and get your product out there faster. Because when you and your product are successful, so are we.
If you’ve got a project you’d like to discuss with us, we’d love to hear from you.
Videos
Technical power videos
Watch Avnet Silica's power expert, Thomas Hauer, sit down with Electropages to discuss several hot topics in the power space including EV charging, power packaging, WBG vs IGBTs/MOSFETs and heat pumps.
Power experts
Better connected through LinkedIn
Connect with Thomas Hauer, Avnet Silica's Power Technology Specialist Manager for EMEA, on LinkedIn.
Tools
Power simulation tools
With all our suppliers' online power design tools, you can evaluate your design ideas faster. See tools such as eDesignSuite from STMicroelectronics, Power Supply WebDesigner by onsemi and many more.
Resources
Power knowledge library
Head over to our power knowledge library to see a full list of our power resources, including articles, webinars, podcasts and more.
Power Packaging
Avnet Silica are the perfect partner to help you optimise package choice. Our relationships with the world’s leading semiconductor manufacturers ensure that we constantly have up-to-date knowledge of current and emerging package types.
Recently published power articles
The Road Ahead for Wide Bandgap Power Devices
We look at the roadmap for SiC and GaN technologies in power applications from both a technology and a supply chain perspective. How will the landscape change over the next few years – will there be even better devices? And can capacity keep up with fast-growing demand?
Maximising GaN Performance with Advanced Digital Control for Power Electronics
The benefits brought by Gallium Nitride (GaN) also introduce challenges in control and optimisation. Programmable digital control offers a solution to these challenges by enabling dynamic adjustments. Combining GaN with digital control is enabling highly efficient, reliable, and scalable power. Rising global demand is driving the need for better power electronics in applications ranging from consumer to e-mobility, data centres, and industrial.
Mitigating Increased Power Demands with Better Power Devices
Can we mitigate the environmental effects by focusing on the positive contribution that developments in power electronics are making? According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global electricity demand will rise by an average of 3.4% annually over the next three years. This is mostly due to an improved economic outlook, with roughly 85% of this growth coming from developing countries — China, in particular.
Megatrend Applications that Depend on Innovative Power Solutions
Regardless of what the end-product looks like, most power system engineers need similar features from their power supplies: small, reliable, efficient, and able to provide excellent power density and thermal performance. Stating the requirements for power supplies is easy, but meeting these requirements can be extremely difficult. Consumers are always looking for improvements in their devices, such as the latest AI-driven features but with longer battery life. The ever-growing demands on power systems come from booming applications — such as AI and electric vehicles (EVs). We look at some of the technology megatrends that are moulding the world around us.
Efficiency Gains of SiC Modules
Silicon carbide’s advantages over IGBTs including lower conduction losses. The linear characteristics of SiC and switching frequency are key to its value. We look at these figures of merit as they apply to SiC modules available now.
Accurate Loss Calculation for SiC Devices
Loss calculations are a critical part of power design. These include conduction and switching losses, and the impact of thermal losses. We look at the tools and methodologies available to help engineers find the right design selection.
Five Ways SiC MOSFET Technology Differs from IGBTs
IGBTs have evolved over time and are still viable and preferred in many applications. In fact, the market for IGBTs is still expanding, with a CAGR of around 10%. So, what are the differences that make one or the other technology suitable for a particular design? The Avnet Silica Power Specialists consider five aspects and how they affect your choice.
Five Things to Consider Before Switching to SiC in Power Conversion
SiC MOSFETs are often presented as an attractive upgrade to older technologies such as IGBTs and Silicon MOSFETs. Although in some limited cases, SiC can be a drop-in replacement, to get maximum benefit, the system should be considered as a whole. To explain more, the Avnet Silica Power Specialists discuss five example areas which affect your design approach.
Choosing Power Components for Maximum Lifetime Value
This article explores the essential factors in selecting power components that maximise lifetime value. From material innovations like wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors to robust design and environmental resilience, these considerations are essential for reducing field failures and ensuring sustained performance in demanding environments.
Why are WBG Technologies Reshaping the Power Electronics Landscape?
Wide bandgap semiconductors are defined by their larger bandgap energy compared to silicon, enabling them to operate at higher voltages, frequencies, and temperatures. This enhanced performance enables opportunities for applications in electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy systems, industrial motors, and aerospace technologies. This article explores how WBG technologies reshape the power electronics landscape, their strategic implications for businesses, and the potential for differentiation and innovation.
Advantages of GaN Power Semiconductors
Silicon has traditionally been the semiconductor material of choice and still commands a dominant share of the market. However, gallium nitride (GaN) is emerging as a strong contender for many applications, offering significant advantages over silicon. As a result, GaN is increasingly being chosen for a broad spectrum of power designs and is also making inroads into RF and optoelectronics.
Advantages of SiC Power Semiconductors
What makes SiC and GaN more appropriate for high-power and high frequency power applications? They are wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, which gives them several desirable electrical and thermal properties for power applications. This has led to the development of many different SiC-based power components, including Schottky diodes and PiN diodes, as well as metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), junction FETs (JFETs), static induction transistors (SITs) and bipolar junction transistors (BJTs).
See all power articles
Visit our power knowledge library to see all of our power articles and resources. Select articles based on specific markets, technologies and applications or watch technical power videos and webinars. You'll also find a library of our power-related podcasts that have featured on our 'We Talk IoT' podcast.
Articles
See all power articles
Read all of our power dedicated technical articles published by power experts.
EV Charging
Interested in EV Charging?
From the forecourt to the cloud, we complement your skillset to get your EV charging requirements deployed faster, better and stronger.
High-Efficiency PFC Systems with STMicroelectronics Technology
Explore STMicroelectronics latest technologies used in high efficient PFC systems, including the new M6 MOSFET family for soft and hard switching.
Smart Electric Motor Control: Electric Drives Demonstration
The Electric Drives Demonstration Platform from Trenz Electronic is based on an AMD Zynq SOC device and allows easy and fast evaluation of three-phase motor control applications.
Microchip Technology DC/DC Power Management Solutions
This webinar introduces Microchip's DC/DC regulators, ideal for various applications. From I2C-enabled and battery-powered designs to multi-output systems for MCUs, MPUs, and FPGAs, Microchip's portfolio offers efficient power solutions.
The Microchip Way (leading the way in high quality power)
Microchip presents its most recent solutions to address those areas of the power electronic market which require or get benefit from high quality and reliability control and power semiconductor technologies.
Featured podcast
Episode 57: Optimising Power Efficiency with IoT
With rising energy costs and a greater push toward sustainability, industries are increasingly turning to IoT solutions to optimise energy consumption and reduce waste. IoT is not only about smart devices but also about gathering data to make smarter decisions that drive both efficiency and sustainability.
We explore the impact of IoT on energy efficiency and sustainability with Andy Richardson, VP of business development at Salom Europe. And delve into how data collected through IoT-enabled power supplies can lead to significant CO2 emissions savings, equivalent to saving thousands of trees. Our discussion highlights the necessity of understanding power usage profiles for accurate emissions reporting and legislation compliance and the broader implications for businesses aiming to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030. Andy shares insight into Salom's strategies and how companies can leverage IoT to drive new business models and make informed decisions.
Technologies
Wide Bandgap, MOSFETs and IGBTs
The future of power electronics likely involves a combination of WBG and traditional technologies. The optimal choice of technology depends on the requirements of the application, including power level, switching frequency, efficiency, cost and more.
Suppliers
Power Suppliers and Solutions
See the wide selection of suppliers we work with and some of the innovative solutions they bring to the market. Together, we're delivering what's next in Power.
Resources
Knowledge Library
Filled with insights from our Power experts, you’ll find webinars, podcasts and articles on innovative power technologies and their applications.
Contact us
Have a question?
Int. Freecall - 00800 412 412 11 | Product or shop-related inquiries: OnlineSupportEU@avnet.com | Content-related questions: yourmessage@avnet.eu