As electrification emerges as an inevitable trend in industry and product development, semiconductor technology is supporting the achievement of a sustainable energy transition.

Texas Instruments (TI) held an online media briefing on the 30th and announced key challenges and trends in the energy transition as well as the importance of energy interoperability.

TI predicted that solar energy will become the largest energy source in many countries within 10 years and explained that they are undergoing an 'energy transition' in which the paradigm of energy generation, consumption, and storage methods is changing.



Matt Xiong, TI Battery Management System Product Line Manager, emphasized in the announcement that “TI’s various technologies are supporting the energy transition, and semiconductor innovations in four aspects—high-voltage power conversion, current and voltage sensing, edge processing, and battery management—are helping to create this sustainable future.”

TI presented accurate monitoring solutions and edge intelligence solutions that increase battery efficiency, particularly in ESS, electric vehicles, and wireless charging.

Lithium-ion batteries commonly used in ESS are vulnerable to overcharging, and monitoring capable of more accurate measurement and sensing is crucial to prevent damage caused by overheating. TI sensor and MCU-based monitoring solutions can accurately observe charge levels, speeds, and battery temperatures, helping to maximize battery cell efficiency and capacity while enhancing user safety and product reliability.

In addition, intelligence at the edge is connected to the home energy ecosystem, enabling power efficiency by maximizing connectivity with in-home solar energy panels, ESS, electric vehicle charging, and the power grid. This technology, referred to as the "Smart Grid" in Korea, is emerging as the next-generation power grid.

According to TI's explanation, for example, if the electricity produced by solar panels in a home exceeds the electricity consumed in the future, it can not only be stored in the home's ESS but also be used to charge electric vehicle batteries in a timely manner and sold to the power grid.

Conversely, on cloudy days, bidirectional smart switch technology will be used to manage the supply of electricity from the power grid to homes, and Home Grid Intelligence will be implemented to enable maximum energy utilization at minimum cost by collecting and learning from data ranging from constantly changing energy prices to grid capacity, vehicle usage patterns, and weather forecasts.

TI explained that overall, intelligence can bring about many changes in terms of energy efficiency, and interconnectivity is being emphasized in the field of high-voltage energy conversion. Data collection using edge processing is becoming increasingly important, and it is reported that edge data has high utility value, such as for storing information on power generation and using it for prediction.

Manager Matthew Xiong mentioned examples of AI application, stating, “In the battery industry, AI is widely utilized, particularly in data analysis. Along with TI, our clients are sending data collected from BMS to servers to analyze battery charge-discharge data and work toward safer battery charging.”

In addition, TI utilizes GaN semiconductors to provide additional performance and efficiency to many components inside and around batteries, leveraging the benefits of low-loss, high-speed switching. Furthermore, by providing standards-based tools aligned with the development of hardware and software standards, it supports electric vehicle charger manufacturers in simplifying product design and development timelines.