Power electronics is an essential enabler for efficient energy utilization across many different applications as well for renewable electricity generation.  Advances in power semiconductor materials and devices are improving power electronics capabilities, but power electronics also relies heavily on passive electromagnetic components—inductors, transformers, and capacitors.  The capabilities of these components are increasingly the bottlenecks limiting improvements in efficiency and miniaturization of power electronics.

The fundamental limitations and scaling laws that make advances in passive components difficult will be outlined, and approaches to circumvent these limitations will be discussed, including co-design of circuits and components as well as electromagnetic design and modeling.  Innovations discussed enable not only improved power converters but also wireless power transfer for medical and mobility applications.