Bio
Yenan Chen received his bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. degree from Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China, in 2010 and 2018 respectively, both in Electrical Engineering. Since 2018, he has been a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Princeton University. His research interests include high frequency power converters, advanced power electronics architecture, grid-interface power electronics and renewable energy systems. He holds three issued Chinese patents. Chen received the APEC Outstanding Presentation Award in 2019, the First Place Award from the Innovation Forum of Princeton University in 2019, the Best Paper Award in COMPEL 2020, and the the Postdoc Researcher Presentation Award at the 2020 Princeton Andlinger Center Annual Meeting.

Abstract
Power electronics convert and control electric power in various systems, including household electronics, renewable energy generation and distribution, data centers, and electric vehicles (EVs). This presentation will introduce Princeton PowerLab’s research on advanced power electronics architecture and topology for improved performance and efficiency, with special attention to the multi-input multi-output (MIMO) energy router and ultra-high-current CPU voltage regulator.

With the increasing adoption of distributed energy resources, EVs, and energy storage, MIMO power conversion is needed for grid edge applications. Connecting many sources or loads together with a MIMO energy router can reduce the power conversion stress, improve the efficiency, and enhance the power density. Challenges of MIMO power conversion will be discussed and recent advances will be presented.

Modern high-performance microprocessors (e.g., CPUs, GPUs, TPUs) switch at GHz frequencies and consume hundreds of amperes of current at very low voltage (i.e., <=1 V). It is a fundamental challenge to support such large currents while maintaining high energy efficiency. The second part of this talk will introduce the ultra-high-current CPU voltage regulator, a new architecture designed to address this challenge.

About the New Light Series
New Light: Rising Stars in Energy and the Environment is a summer webinar series to spotlight associate research scholars, postdoctoral research fellows, and other early-career researchers affiliated with the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment. Weekly webinars feature a diverse range of researchers working on cutting-edge topics across disciplines who seek to solve society’s most pressing problems in energy and the environment. View the full line-up.