Onsemi Unveils Embedded Power Platform to Transform Power Electronics in the AI and Automotive Eras

Packaging innovation for the artificial intelligence era has officially reached the doorsteps of power electronics, driven by a new architectural approach that utilizes the silicon wafer itself as the package foundation. This methodology enables a highly integrated approach to power system design, optimizing electrical, mechanical, and thermal performance simultaneously from the very beginning of the engineering process. By tackling these considerations together rather than sequentially, designers can achieve higher power density and substantially improve overall system performance.

The technology, known as the Embedded Power Platform (EPP), was unveiled by onsemi and aims to fundamentally reimagine the semiconductor package. Instead of serving merely as a passive housing for microchips, the package functions as an active contributor to power design performance. EPP enables the seamless integration and interconnection of diverse semiconductor technologies—including traditional silicon, silicon carbide (SiC), and gallium nitride (GaN)—within a highly integrated, wafer-level architecture.

Hassane El-Khoury, President and CEO of onsemi, highlighted the paradigm shift during the introduction of the new platform. For decades, the semiconductor chip and its protective package have been treated as entirely separate technologies, developed along independent tracks. EPP changes that dynamic by making the silicon itself an integral part of the system architecture. It achieves this by combining advanced semiconductor technologies, manufacturing techniques, and system-level optimization into a single, cohesive power design.

The arrival of the AI era is creating unprecedented infrastructure challenges that pure computing power alone cannot resolve. Nowhere is this more apparent than in modern data centers, where design engineers are constantly tasked with moving and managing larger volumes of electrical current through dense server racks. At the same time, they must rigorously control heat generation, maintain high efficiency, minimize costs, and shorten development cycles. These compounding demands ultimately limit how much raw compute capacity can physically fit within a standard server rack.

The root of this engineering bottleneck lies in the traditional methodology of power system design. Historically, power electronics, mechanical layout, and thermal management have been treated as separate engineering challenges handled by different teams at different stages of the product lifecycle. Consequently, each layer of the system is optimized independently and sequentially. Decisions made during the initial electrical design phase frequently create compromises in the mechanical or thermal stages, leading to unexpected bottlenecks. This fragmented process inevitably triggers multiple engineering iterations, costly late-stage redesigns, and extended development cycles.

EPP replaces this traditional sequential model with a unified platform that allows electrical, thermal, and mechanical aspects to be co-designed, co-simulated, and co-optimized from inception. This transforms the technology into a flexible, application-agnostic platform that supports multiple semiconductor materials and scales gracefully across a wide range of power levels. Multiple active and passive devices, such as field-effect transistors, gate drivers, and controllers, can be embedded directly together within a single package.

This deep integration enables tighter electrical coupling, combines power delivery and control systems into a single cohesive unit, and dramatically reduces overall system-level complexity. According to performance data shared by onsemi, a solid-state circuit-breaker built using the EPP architecture demonstrated significant physical and thermal improvements, emerging approximately 50% smaller and running 20% cooler than equivalent existing designs on the market.

Beyond Data Center Power

While data centers represent an immediate and pressing market for high-density power solutions, the implications of wafer-level packaging innovation extend far beyond server rooms. Automakers are also searching for ways to squeeze more efficiency out of constrained spaces. Major carmaker Subaru, serving as an early engagement partner for the Embedded Power Platform, is actively collaborating with onsemi to evaluate how the technology can support future electrified vehicle architectures. As part of this partnership, Subaru gains early access to engineering samples, advanced simulation models, and specialized technical expertise as the two companies explore new methods to elevate vehicle performance and streamline development pipelines.

Efficiency losses, strict thermal limitations, high development complexity, and bulky system sizes frequently constrain the adoption and performance of electric vehicle traction inverters. In this demanding automotive environment, EPP’s scalable architecture facilitates the creation of a unified inverter platform capable of spanning everything from low-end city cars to high-end, high-performance vehicle applications. This versatility allows carmakers to reuse a common design baseline across multiple vehicle models and distinct power classes. By doing so, manufacturers can reduce research and development expenditures, lower manufacturing costs, accelerate qualification and development cycles, extend driving range, and ultimately decrease total system costs for consumers.

As rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, automotive electrification, and industrial automation continue to drive an insatiable demand for more power in tighter physical spaces, new architectural paradigms are required to redefine system-level power delivery. By integrating multiple heterogeneous dies directly into a single silicon device, onsemi’s platform claims to deliver three to five times higher power density compared to current industry solutions, all while maintaining a highly integrated approach to system design.

These ambitious performance claims will soon face rigorous real-world testing as the technology moves into active data center and electric vehicle power designs, where engineers face the ongoing challenge of maximizing efficiency while simultaneously managing strict thermal, spatial, and financial constraints. Commercial sampling of the Embedded Power Platform is widely expected to begin in 2026, engaging strategic customers and key ecosystem participants across both the automotive and AI technology sectors.