The Next “Automation Age”: How Semiconductor Technologies Are Changing Industrial Systems and Applications

A profound transformation is making the industrial world more technically advanced and sustainable: the “Next Automation Age.” The changes are driven by demand for increased safety for both personnel and equipment in factories, higher levels of intelligence in processes, and greater flexibility and efficiency. Newer semiconductor technologies like wide-bandgap silicon carbide and gallium nitride, combined with advanced digital control architectures, can deliver significantly higher power densities and conversion efficiency than conventional silicon technologies. Advances in smart power BCD process technologies, with embedded phase-change memories, can facilitate transitions from analog to digital control improving power conversion and motor-control applications. Embedded on-chip, galvanic isolation extends or supersedes earlier-generation system-level protections with superior intrinsic safety and robustness. At the same time, it protects users from electric shocks while delivering exceptional power and high-speed data transfer rates across isolated barriers. These are just some of the innovations emerging from an industrial electronics sector striving to meet the smart industry trends of the current and foreseeable sustainable future.