GaN Wine Lounge

In this video, Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio met Roy Dagher, Technology & Market Analyst for compound semiconductors at Yole Group, during APEC in San Antonio at the EPC booth. They discussed the evolution of the GaN power electronics market, focusing on reliability, supply chain maturity, and manufacturing challenges. The conversation covered key applications such as fast chargers, AI data centers, and automotive, and highlighted how GaN has been rapidly moving from consumer devices into high‑power infrastructure markets.

At APEC in San Antonio, Texas, the world’s leading power electronics conference, Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio met with Alix Paultre, IEEE editor and veteran technology observer, for a wide-ranging conversation in the GaN Wine Lounge at EPC. Alix shares his journey from Cold War electronic warfare and signal intelligence to covering advanced gallium nitride (GaN) solutions, explaining how GaN is transforming power architectures, efficiency, and power density. They discuss EPC’s role in legitimizing GaN, where GaN will win decisively, and why power is always “personal” - from data centers and consumer devices to winemaking, plastics, and many other real-world applications.

At the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) in San Antonio - Texas, Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio of Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) spoke with Lee Goldberg, contributing editor at Electronic Design, about the evolution of GaN and its growing impact on power electronics. Goldberg highlighted EPC’s pioneering role in advancing enhancement-mode GaN and helping move the industry from early uncertainty toward broader adoption beyond silicon. He also shared perspectives on sustainability, integration trends, and the enduring importance of human insight in engineering journalism during a time of rapid technological change.

In this video, Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio welcomes Chaofeng Cai, COO of InnoPhy, to the GaN Wine Lounge to explore the future of GaN-based power electronics. Chaofeng shares his professional journey and how it led to the creation of Innphy, then explains why GaN technology is central to the company’s strategy. The discussion covers system-level advantages and challenges of GaN, InnPhy close collaboration with EPC, and their 48 V roadmap for AI servers, automotive, and motor drives. Chaofeng also highlights emerging innovations and offers a clear message to engineers still hesitant about adopting GaN.

In this episode of GaN Wine Lounge, Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio hosts Dan Sable, CEO of VPT, Inc. and pioneer in high‑reliability DC-DC power converters for space and defense. They explore how space power electronics evolved from conservative designs to advanced GaN-based architectures, why radiation tolerance is crucial in orbit, and how the VPT–EPC Space partnership accelerated GaN adoption. Dan also shares his vision for future power converters in mega constellations and deep space missions, where cost, reliability, and GaN will define the next era.

In this video, Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio hosts Steve Sandler, Managing Director at Picotest and pioneer of nearly 50 years in power electronics, at the GaN Wine Lounge. Steve shares his journey from audio power amplifiers and space shuttle programs to leading-edge power integrity and GaN-based measurement solutions. They explore how gallium nitride (GaN) changes design practices, the crucial role of EPC in making GaN accessible, real-world reliability insights, and why GaN is key for AI data centers, robotics, and ultra-high-current systems - plus what still keeps Steve excited about the future of power electronics.

Ray Ridley, founder and CEO of Ridley Engineering, joins us in this episode of GaN Wine Lounge to share his decades of hands-on experience in power electronics. From the early transition from bipolar transistors to MOSFETs to today’s rapid rise of GaN, Ray has witnessed - and shaped - multiple technology waves. In this conversation, he reflects on GaN’s real-world challenges and advantages, the importance of practical engineering know-how, and why the future of power design belongs to those willing to get into the lab and experiment.

In this episode of GaN Wine Lounge, host Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio speaks with Alex Lidow, CEO of EPC, and Rohan Samsi, VP GaN Business Division, Renesas, about how combining EPC’s low-voltage GaN leadership with Renesas’ high-voltage portfolio, global reach, and manufacturing strength will accelerate GaN adoption. They explore key applications from automotive and industrial to AI systems and humanoid robots, outline Renesas’ plan to secure internal GaN wafer fabrication in Japan, and explain how robust second sourcing and ecosystem support will help bring GaN to truly mainstream, high-volume markets.

In this episode, we welcome Alejandro Pozo, Director of Applications Engineering at EPC. Together we step inside the lab to see how GaN reference designs are evaluated in practice, using automated test setups, oscilloscope measurements, and thermal imaging. The conversation offers a relaxed, behind-the-scenes look at how engineers translate device performance into meaningful efficiency and reliability data for real power converter designs.