Highlights Of APEC 2005

All-In-One Registration *NEW*

For the first time APEC is offering a "one price for everything" registration. At previous APECs, you had to register separately for the Technical Sessions and the Professional Education Seminar. New for APEC 2005 is the Full Registration that offers admission to all of the Professional Education Seminars, all of the Technical Sessions, the Exposition, Rap Sessions, Exhibitor's Reception, the Conference Social Event plus the APEC Proceedings on CD-ROM, the Seminar Workbooks with the presentations from all of the seminars and more - at a savings of $50.

Austin!

APEC has long wanted to hold a conference in Austin, Texas - but we just could not find a suitable site until now. The brand new, just opened on December 27, 2003, Hilton Hotel in downtown Austin will be the site of APEC 2005.

The APEC Conference Committee is excited about Austin as it has so much to offer. Austin is known as the "live music capital of the world" with over 100 live music venues. And live music is only one of Austin's many historic and cultural attractions. Austin is one of only a few U.S. cities with professional ballet, symphony, opera, and theater companies. The Austin cultural scene includes 20 museums, dozens of galleries and as many as 35 theater companies. As a high tech center, it is the home of companies like Dell, the International SEMATECH consortium and home of too many semiconductor operations to name. In 2003, Forbes Magazine called Austin the "Best Place For Business" with more than 1000 tech companies. As the capital of the state of Texas, it is also an important political center.

Austin's attractions are hardly limited to the indoors! Austin and the surrounding countryside are quite scenic with parks, nature preserves and lakes. Nearby is the renowned Texas Hill Country. In early March, the wildflowers should be providing a fabulous spectacle. The weather should be quite pleasant with an average daily high temperature of 21-22 ¡C (70-72 ¡F) and an average daily low of 10 ¡C (50 ¡F). For more information on Austin and events in an around the Austin area, check the Austin Convention & Visitor's Bureau Web site.

A Plenary Session Not To Be Missed

We have assembled for your enjoyment a stellar cast for this year's Plenary Session. We have brought together for the Monday session four top executives in the electronics business and two top level U.S. government civil servants from organizations that directly impact the world of power electronics. This Plenary Session is a must-see for anyone interested in getting a look into the future of our business, presented by individuals who are at the helm of the flagship companies in the computer and power electronics industry.

Alex Lidow, CEO of International Rectifier, will lead off with a look at the development of key electrical systems that have improved our standard of living, and the impact as well as potential for power electronics to improve performance and efficiency. Kevin Kettler, the Chief Technology Officer of Dell, Inc., will then look at how advances in personal computing will drive innovation in power conditioning. We will then hear from John Zolper, Deputy Director of the Microsystems Technology Office Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, who will give us a picture of the possibilities in a revolutionary device technology.

After an extended coffee break where we can catch up with old friends and colleagues, Andrew Fanara, from the Energy Star Program of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, will lead off the second half of the Plenary Session with the presentation of award winners from the 2004 Efficiency Challenge design competition. Izac Bencuya, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer of Fairchild Semiconductor, will look at the two major trends in the evolving power semiconductor industry. The first path is one of continuing innovation in silicon technology, while the other is the trend toward single package integration and increased functionality in one package. The Plenary Session will close with a presentation by Hans Stork, Chief Technology Officer of Texas Instruments. He will be giving a CTO's perspective on industry trends that will significantly affect target markets and product planning in the power electronics business. As you can see, this star-studded Plenary is as big as Texas, and one that no power electronics engineer can afford to miss.

More Papers Than Ever Before!

APEC 2005 had 645 digests submitted to the Program Committee - more than a hundred more than ever before. After a rigorous peer review process, the Program Committee accepted 329 for inclusion in the APEC 2005 Technical Program.

Two hundred of the papers with the broadest appeal have been assigned to the Presentation Sessions held from Tuesday morning to Thursday afternoon. One hundred twenty nine high quality papers with a more specialized focus have been assigned to the Dialogue Sessions held on Thursday at mid-day.

These papers cover every possible area of interest to the practicing power electronics professional, from low power dc-dc converters to high power converters for power quality applications, magnetic design, EMI/EMC, motor drives, lighting applications, automotive and transportation applications, power systems, power semiconductors and more. The APEC 2005 Technical Session papers are sure to give you many new ideas that you can take home and apply to your work right away.

Technical Tour: Center For Electromechanics

The mission of the Center for Electromechanics at the University of Texas at Austin is to help industry produce products and processes that matter by combining university research with a growing core competence in the technologies needed to harness transient electrical and mechanical power. It is a large facility with 15 academic faculty, an 80 person research staff and an annual funding of US$15 million. The Center has opened its doors to APEC attendees for a special tour on Thursday evening. This is a unique event that you won't find at any other power electronics conference this year.

Special Presentation Sessions

There are three special presentation sessions to address issues of current interest. While these sessions are less technical in detail, they cover areas of great impact to the power electronics industry. Consequently these invited speakers come from both inside and outside of the industry.

The first session is a broad overview of energy efficiency and renewable energy perspectives to assist those who are working towards a greener world. Learn about the different implementation options to differentiate your products and your customers' products. Discover how different governments are promoting these worthy initiatives and explore ways to support them.

The second session continues last year's very successful "Current Topics In Power Electronics Research". We will hear from several academic and non-academic research centers from around the world on the latest in power electronics research.

In the third session, we will learn how the power electronics industry may change over the next three to five years. Four different representatives from different major industries will share their future needs, challenges and concerns in using power electronics. Two leading suppliers of power electronics will share how the power electronics industry is anticipating changes and outline various upcoming solutions. It will be most interesting to learn if there is a good match between the future needs of power electronics users and future power electronics solutions or if there is an opportunity to improve while there is still time.

Exposition

The Exposition is a key part of APEC 2005, and you will see, touch and learn about the newest products and services from the leading companies in the power electronics industry. APEC's Exhibitors are also offering a series of seminars on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning, where you can gain in-depth knowledge of the latest solutions to your power electronics challenges.

The Exhibit Hall is also the social center of APEC. Whether it is during one of the conference receptions or during the luncheons, the Exhibit Hall is the place to be. APEC's Exhibitors are also offering a series of seminars on Tuesday afternoon so that you can get an in-depth look at the latest solutions to your power electronics challenges.

And as always, admission to the APEC Exposition is free - although we do ask that you stop by the registration desk to pick up a badge that will allow you entrance.

MicroMouse Contest

APEC will once again host the premier MicroMouse contest in North America, drawing contestants from all over the world. Come by the Governor's Ballroom Salon C, at 8:00 PM on Monday to cheer your favorite mouse to victory.

If you are interested in entering a MicroMouse in the contest, please see the APEC Web site for information and instructions. Information is also available from the APEC 2005 offices.

Conference Social Event

On Wednesday evening, APEC will mosey on over to the Austin Music Hall for an evening of pure Texas entertainment. Barbeque with all the fixings will be served with seating available for all. A true Texas music legend will take the stage at 8:30 PM to serenade us with the finest in Texas music. This is an evening not to be missed.

Spouse and Guest Program

APEC welcomes the spouses and guests of the APEC conference participants. A welcoming breakfast will be held on Monday, March 7th. The Spouse and Guest Hospitality room will be open each morning to provide a place to meet, have coffee and make plans for the day.

APEC 2005 has also arranged for two optional tours. The first tour, "Texas Legends and Lore", is on Monday right after the Welcoming Breakfast. This tour introduces you to Texas with stops at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, the Texas Spirit Theatre and the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum. Along the way, a typically Texas lunch will be served.

On Tuesday, March 8th, the "Take A Walk On The Wild Side" tour is available. This tour starts off with a "duck's eye" view tour of Austin in an amphibious duck boat. The tour moves on to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, lunch at Guero's Taco Bar and then to shopping on South Congress Avenue. This promises to be a very full and very fun day.

Spouses and guests are also welcome at conference activities like the Exhibit Hall receptions and the MicroMouse Contest.