DSP control will be fully in the picture for active PFC filters and controllers, consistent with squeezing out the highest efficiencies and power management. Shrinking magnetics will also garner its share of attention in dc/dc converters and switchers. So will thermal modeling, an oft-overlooked area that will be stepping up to meet more stringent challenges. And there will be meaningful, ramped-up discussions of alternative power sources: photovoltaic, wind and fuel cells. In short, a broad new frontier in power, as befits the end, or start, of the millennium, as per your particular scoring of the calendar.

The grandeur of coming events will be lost on many system designers, but it shouldn't be. All the ingredients required for success across the board normally come together once in a blue moon, and that moon is shining now. The phenomenon is tied together by stronger synergy between industry and academia, and the practical and theoretical, as demonstrated in the technical papers at Apec, which is cosponsored by the Power Sources Manufacturers Association and by IEEE (through its Industry Applications Society and Power Electronics Society ).

While the industry-education link is not one that's particularly well-advertised in the power arena, it's paying off now in spades. That's because there's increased demand for advanced power systems, sparked by a strong economy that can support abundant outside research for developing new ideas. Also contributing, along with the Internet, are all the traditional factors: better semiconductors for synchronous rectification, new zero-current and zero-voltage switching schemes, and three-phase controllers. The price of university, vs. in-house, research is just right.

The connection to university curricula as well as university-to-company recruiting is also a strong benefit. All in all, we're enjoying an extremely stable closed-feedback loop that should continue for at least the next few years.