My Fondest APEC Memories

­By the time you read this, the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) should’ve began in earnest, and amongst the usual litany of wide band-gap semiconductors, power supplies, and the newest star of the show, AI, the event is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

As such, the conference is asking everyone to share their four decades’ worth of APEC memories, and while I could certainly join in and wax nostalgic – APEC and its venues are indeed very cool – my fondest memories are a bit more personal.

I only started going to APEC when I first joined Power Systems Design in early 2017 (a few months after the birth of my son), and like most of you, I missed several years during the pandemic.

So compared to my colleagues, I’m a relative APEC greenhorn – I didn’t get to meet Mickey Mouse in the late ‘90s or the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders in 2014. I’ve made a bunch of new friends, but my APEC memories don’t stretch into the double digits (yet).

For me, one of the coolest parts of APEC has always been reuniting with the PSD crew. PSD is fully remote, and while we often have a presence at some of the biggest shows of the year – like PCIM and electronica – APEC is PSD’s Super Bowl, so it’s all-hands on deck.

As such, APEC is a PSD family reunion – meeting up, exploring the show floor together, and celebrating another successful year with a night out on the town. It’s a rewarding (and intensely personal) way to honor the power electronics business and the people who make it possible.