Smaller, more powerful, faster, cheaper has been the rallying call in electronics for decades. But users are reaching the limits of greed on "small." They're calling for advanced wireless, portable and desktop systems that would also be the size of a pinhead if they had their way. That's not possible without the transition from electronics to photonics.

Something has got to give, and it won't be performance. In fact, I'd say the trend indicates that future systems will actually become physically larger rather than shrinking any more than they have. Indeed, the bigger-before-smaller power design paradigm may be a wise one to embrace.

Higher-current converter ICs are a breakthrough for certain applications. They include those that make good economic sense or where the end need outweighs the cost premium. The direction in power may indeed be toward higher power densities.

I don't agree, however, that the capability of a half-dozen companies to place switching MOSFETs with more than 3- to 4-A capability (the long-acknowledged "limit") with a dc/dc controller underscores a trend in monolithic integration. But some will.

True, perfecting the various technologies was a foregone conclusion. Switching vs. linear converters, for instance, imply high efficiency. That in turn implies a power chip needing no heat sink. But such a product doesn't come cheap, and in recent years, it's more been a case of "just because we can doesn't mean we should."

That idea comes from knowing "smaller" and "costly" have limits. Ultimately, there is a limit to how small one can package a high-capability system, if for no other reason than that users need to do away with heat and view displays they can actually see. New voltage regulator module specs notwithstanding, I think we're fast reaching some limitations for both portable and desktop systems. Incredible as a 10-A, one-chip regulator will be in certain future applications, today's designers have a wide choice of power modules to pick from. Multichip modules, which I believe will be a trend, are certainly on their way.

The battle isn't always to the strong or large, but that's the way I'd bet.