Power Management Industry to Focus on Efficient Solutions in 2008

Hemen Cheng, Global Sales and Marketing Director, Automotive and Power Regulation Group, ON Semiconductor, discusses the power solutions trends in 2007, and gives his forecast on the industry for the coming year. Excerpts:



What were the main trends on power solutions in your markets in 2007?

One of the big trends for 2007 has been higher efficiency power supplies. This has been due to a number of different factors including market drivers which have seen demand for smaller size solutions with greater functionality, regulatory drivers such as changes to Energy Star ratings and California Energy Commission standards together with a greater focus on "green" products by end users. An example of how this has impacted the industry is the change in the power efficiency standard for ATX power supply from 80%+ to 85%+.



The challenge is for the power electronics industry to provide efficient solutions that cover the three major aspects of the energy efficiency—reduced standby power, improved active mode efficiency and reduced harmonic content or Power Factor Correction (PFC). Over the past few years ON Semiconductor has embraced this challenge and offers a full range of efficient power solutions "From the Socket to the Pocket".Did you see any particular technologies start to gain momentum?

We have noticed an increase in market demand for high efficiency power supplies for the ATX computing market. Again we believe this is due to the general market trend for more integrated solutions with greater functionality, together with the end-user focus on "green" products.



What are the main concerns keeping your customers awake at nights?

Our customers’ business concerns are usually focused on how they can maintain the competitive advantage in terms of performance, cost and quality. With this in mind, ON Semiconductor strives to continually provide comprehensive total solutions featuring quality products as well as technical support to help our customers achieve their business goals.



Are there any trends or technologies that you think will be particularly significant in 2008?

At ON Semiconductor, we expect one of the key products trends for 2008 to be around applications. This focus on applications will be driven by the fact that specific applications optimize performance and cost, which in turn provides greater value to customers and their end products.



Where do you think ON Semiconductor will be developing products or services, which will create a distinct differential with their competitors, over the next 12 months?

ON Semiconductor ships over 2 billion products monthly and continues to operate with a strong global penetration of key applications and in a variety of regions.



One of the most impressive edges ON Semiconductor has is to actively partner with our customers in the development of new products and system solutions. We have established Solutions Engineering Centers (SECs) in different regions that work to address individual market segments and unique customer needs. For example, the SEC in Taiwan focuses on power and computing, the one in Korea concentrates on customer portable, and the SEC in Germany addresses the automotive industry.



We also have established joint power labs in China with market makers including Hisense Electric Company Limited, a world renowned electronic manufacturer; the Changhong Group, a world renowned consumer electronics solutions and services supplier; and with Kingvon Group, China’s largest set-top box manufacturer. Each of these is a corroborative effort. Targeting specific customers or situating ourselves in close geographic proximity to key customers’ design facilities, we have made ON Semiconductor’s technical expertise available to our customers. In return, our customers have helped us better define and develop differentiated products. These partnerships have also assisted ON Semiconductor with improving customer intimacy, advancing our application knowledge and better targeting our R&D spending.



To support China’s drive to lower standby power consumption to one watt (1W), ON Semiconductor initiated a “1 Watt Forum” in 2006 with China Standard Certification Center (CSC), China’s highest authority for certifying energy-efficient products. This annual platform aims at discussing ideas, solutions, technologies and issues impacting the country’s 1 W movement. International efforts are underway to lower standby power to 1 W. International Energy Agency (IEA) has proposed a 1-Watt Plan, urging all participating countries to reduce standby power use to 1W in all products by 2010.