Power consumption and generation in the electronics industry. A perspective

With the proliferation of electronics into every aspect of our life, the world is rapidly speeding towards the silicon-based one. This is evident from the heavy reliance on electronics around the world which can be measured by the Internet use (doubling every 100 days), number of PCs (110 million sold last year) and the great concerns about the infamous Y2K problems. In this venue, the electronics industry has become the focal point of the future growth. This trend is posing an interesting and at times challenging situation with respect to power dissipation and generation. Both of these issues by themselves are unique and potentially formidable. The constant demand for higher speed has turned electronic enclosures into Pizza ovens. Considering the market´s insatiable appetite for speed, systems have become smaller and smaller while being constrained by limited space, acoustic noise and cost competitiveness. With the industry direction heading towards the so-called “System-on-Chip,” the cooling for these systems has become a major constraint in product development. In parallel, an area that is commonly overlooked is the issue of required power to energize the silicon-world and its delivery around the globe. Moreover, the need for quality power is becoming a major point of contention since many high-speed electronics require the so-called “premium” power to function flawlessly. In this paper, both of these issues are explored and a perspective is offered regarding how the electronics and the power industries may evolve to meet these challenges