Technology for a Sustainable Future: Power Semiconductors in Focus

The University of Aveiro hosted a session on “Power Semiconductors for AI Data Centres”, organised in collaboration with Infineon. The session focused on the growing energy demands of data centres used to train Artificial Intelligence models, which now consume electricity on the scale of gigawatts, comparable to the energy usage of large cities. This trend reflects a projected increase in global energy demand from 3% in 2024 to 7% by 2030.

To address this pressing challenge, participants explored technological solutions such as Wide Bandgap Semiconductors (WBG). These advanced materials are more energy-efficient, generating less heat, consuming less power, and operating reliably in extreme conditions. The discussion also highlighted the importance of integrating optimised power modules capable of efficiently converting and managing energy, from the high voltages supplied by the grid to the low, stable voltages needed by sensitive server components.

This session is part of the Semiconductors & Technologies Lecture Series, organised by the Departments of Physics (DFis) and Electronics and Telecommunications (DETI), in partnership with leading industry players and supported by POEMS.