What AMETEK Programmable Power does

AMETEK Programmable Power is a division of AMETEK Inc. (NYSE: AM) that designs, manufactures, and markets AC and DC programmable power supplies, electronic loads, and compliance test systems through four sub-brands: Sorensen (DC supplies), Elgar (RF/microwave amplifiers and engineered systems), California Instruments (AC power sources), and VTI Instruments (data acquisition and signal conditioning). The portfolio spans power ranges from watts to over 1.3 MW and is built around a SiC power-switching architecture with digital signal processing, four-quadrant bidirectional operation, regenerative capability (96% efficiency), and LXI-compliant instrumentation with IEEE-1588 synchronization. Verticals served include aerospace and defense, automotive and transportation, commercial electronics, energy and power generation, and semiconductor test.

The core technology platforms — Sequoia and Tahoe AC sources, i-BEAM and Mi-BEAM bidirectional DC systems, Asterion DC family, PLA/PLW electronic loads, m-SAS, ASPS and TerraSAS solar simulators, and the EX/EX1000A VTI data acquisition instruments — support battery cycling and simulation, EV and V2G testing, grid code compliance, satellite solar array simulation, and avionics power-quality validation. Software integration is delivered through SCPI/IVI drivers, LabVIEW and MATLAB/Simulink compatibility, and a Virtual Panels GUI for browser-based control. The business model is configured-to-order hardware sales priced via request-a-quote under multi-year contracts, supplemented by professional calibration services and a usage-based rental channel. GTM combines direct enterprise sales representatives, an exclusive distribution and calibration partnership with Transcat across US and South America, and self-service online quote requests targeting aerospace, automotive, semiconductor, and renewable energy OEMs and test labs.

AMETEK Programmable Power inherits global reach from its parent (21,000 colleagues at 150+ operating locations across 31 countries and 175 market-leading brands), with regional customer support extending through China and South America in addition to the United States. Customer concentration is spread across five primary verticals but skewed toward enterprise-grade validation and production test programs that lock in multi-year qualification cycles. Sustained product launches from 2022 through 2026 — Sequoia/Tahoe (2022), i-BEAM (2023), Mi-BEAM, m-SAS, ASPS (2024), and Asterion DC Half-Rack (2026) — together with the Transcat channel agreement and an Innovation Award for Mi-BEAM in 2025 indicate an active product and commercial expansion phase aligned with EV, grid, and renewable test demand.

Name

AMETEK Programmable Power

Legal name

AMETEK Programmable Power Inc.

Website

https://programmablepower.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AMETEK Programmable Power, a division of AMETEK Inc., designs and manufactures AC and DC programmable power supplies, bidirectional and regenerative systems, electronic loads, and compliance test equipment serving aerospace, automotive, energy, semiconductor, and commercial test laboratories worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Programmable Power Supplies and Test Systems

NAICS

Instrument Manufacturing for Measuring and Testing Electricity and Electrical Signals (334515), Electrical Equipment Manufacturing (3353), Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing (33451)

SIC

Instruments For Meas & Testing Of Electricity & Elec Signals (3825), Electrical Industrial Apparatus (3620), Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)

akta.pro primary industry

Ruggedized/Harsh-Environment Electronics Manufacturing (IP-rated, shock/vibration, wide-temp) (IMAGAGAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Power Conditioners & Voltage Regulators (HDACAJAD), Renewable Monitoring, Controls & SCADA Hardware Manufacturing (Sensors, RTUs, Meters) (EUAMAHAJ)

Keywords

• Programmable AC power supplies
• Programmable DC power supplies
• Bidirectional regenerative power
• Electronic loads
• Compliance test systems

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Power and Test Equipment Sales: Sale of programmable AC/DC power supplies, electronic loads, and test systems to industrial customers. Revenue from equipment sales with varying power levels from watts to over 1 MW.
2. Calibration and Service: Calibration partnership with Transcat provides calibration services for power and test systems. Includes service center support and technical support.
3. Equipment Rental: Rental program for power and test systems through distribution partners, allowing customers to rent equipment for temporary or project-based needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

AMETEK Programmable Power designs, manufactures, and markets programmable AC and DC power supplies, bidirectional and regenerative power systems, electronic loads, compliance test systems, and engineered simulators (solar/PV, battery, grid) for industrial customers in aerospace, defense, automotive, energy, semiconductor, and commercial markets. It also sells data acquisition and signal conditioning instruments under the VTI Instruments brand, with products ranging from watts to over 1.3 MW configured to customer specifications and supported by calibration and service programs.

Product overview

AMETEK Programmable Power offers a comprehensive portfolio of programmable power solutions organized into several product lines: AC Power Sources including the Sequoia Series (regenerative four-quadrant grid simulator) and Tahoe Series (precision AC/DC source); DC Power Supplies including the Asterion DC family (single, ASA three-channel, ASM three-channel, and Half-Rack variants), i-BEAM Series (bidirectional regenerative up to 1.3MW), and Mi-BEAM Series (modular bidirectional 12-37kW); Electronic Loads (PLA/PLW Series); Engineered Systems including m-SAS (satellite solar array simulator), ASPS (solar power simulator), and TerraSAS (terrestrial PV simulator); Test Compliance equipment (CTS Series); Battery Testing solutions (Battery Cycler and Simulator); and Data Acquisition/Test & Measurement through the VTI Instruments brand (EX1400 series for voltage/thermocouple/strain measurement, EX1000A series). The product architecture follows a modular approach with multiple power ranges and configurations designed for aerospace, automotive, semiconductor, energy, and commercial testing applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sorensen: DC power supplies, programmable DC power supplies including i-BEAM, Mi-BEAM, DLM, SFA, SGA, SGX, HPX, XFR, XG, ASD FLX, DCS, and Asterion DC series
• Elgar
• California Instruments
• VTI Instruments

Products and services

• Sequoia Series Full four-quadrant bidirectional AC source and regenerative grid simulator using SiC power-switching architecture, covering 15 kVA to 1.08 MVA power ranges for testing solar inverters, UPS systems, V2G systems, wind turbines, avionics, and power compliance.
• Tahoe Series Two-quadrant precision programmable AC and DC source using SiC power-switching architecture and Digital Signal Processing, combining a high-power AC/DC source with a power analyzer in a floor-standing chassis for 15 kVA to 1.08 MVA applications.
• i-BEAM Series Intelligent-Bidirectional Energy AMplified (i-BEAM) bidirectional, regenerative DC power system with source and sink capabilities from 60 kW to 1.3 MW, designed for battery testing, cycling, simulation, and high-power electronics testing.
• Asterion DC ASM Series Three-channel programmable DC power supply with three independent, isolated 1700W channels (5100W total) in a 1U rack-mount chassis, designed for telecommunications, commercial, military, aerospace, semiconductor, and automotive applications.
• Asterion DC ASA Series Three-channel power supply with three independent, isolated 600W channels (1800W total) featuring autoranging output and expanded current/voltage range for wider testing needs.
• Asterion DC Half-Rack Series Compact 1U half-rack programmable DC power supply delivering up to 1.7 kW with industry-leading power density for modern test environments.
• Asterion DC Series 5 kW autoranging power supply with high power density for various testing applications.
• Mi-BEAM Series Modular intelligent-Bidirectional Energy AMplified (Mi-BEAM) series featuring full DC source and sink capabilities with power levels from 12 kW up to 37 kW.
• m-SAS Series Elgar m-SAS features low output capacitance and high closed loop bandwidth to provide advanced Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithms used in small satellites.
• ASPS Series Elgar Advanced Solar Power Simulator (ASPS) featuring either two independent, isolated 600W channels or a single 1200W channel for solar power simulation applications.
• TerraSAS ETS Series Standalone terrestrial solar array photovoltaic simulator for solar testing applications.
• PLA Series Air-cooled electronic loads for DC power testing applications.
• PLW Series DC electronic loads available with RoHS 3 compliance.
• CTS Series 3.2 1250-15000 VA programmable AC and DC immunity compliance testing system.
• Battery Cycler Programmable power systems for battery charge/discharge cycling and testing applications.
• Battery Simulator Programmable systems for battery simulation in testing environments.
• EX1402 16-channel isolated high-voltage measurement instrument with three software-selectable full-scale input ranges (±1V, ±10V, ±420V), 24-bit resolution, 128 kS/s sample rate, and 1000V channel-to-channel isolation for battery and general test applications.
• EX1401 16-channel isolated thermocouple and voltage measurement instrument with input voltage ranges of ±0.01V, ±0.10V, ±1.0V, and ±10.0V, 24-bit resolution, 20 kS/s per channel, and 500V channel-to-ground isolation.
• EX1403A 16-channel bridge and strain gauge measurement instrument with 24-bit ADCs per channel, programmable sample rates up to 128 kSPS, support for full/half/quarter bridges, and IEEE-1588 synchronization for aerospace and structural testing.
• EX1000A Series Precision voltage measurement instrument providing 48 voltage channels supporting Type J, K, T, E, S, R, B, and N thermocouples with a self-calibration feature.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% energy regeneration efficiency in bidirectional DC power supplies
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TranscatcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 6 February 2026AMETEK Programmable Power appointed Transcat as its exclusive distributor, calibration partner, and rental provider for its power and test systems across the US and South America. The agreement aims to improve product availability, delivery speed, and support services for markets including automotive, aerospace, semiconductor, and renewable energy. Transcat will handle distribution, calibration, and rental services under this exclusive arrangement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• ITECH Electronic: ITECH offers programmable AC/DC power supplies and electronic loads at competitive price points commonly used in EV, battery, and consumer electronics test — closely aligned with AMETEK's Asterion DC line and a frequent alternative in mid-market accounts.
• Chroma ATE: Chroma ATE is a direct competitor in programmable AC/DC power supplies, electronic loads, and battery test systems, serving EV, renewable, and aerospace customers with bidirectional regenerative platforms that overlap AMETEK's i-BEAM and Sequoia product lines.
• Magna-Power Electronics: Magna-Power produces programmable DC power supplies and electronic loads for high-power industrial and military applications, providing direct competition to AMETEK's mid-to-high power supplies including Sorensen and Asterion platforms.
• EA Elektro-Automatik: EA specializes in bidirectional, regenerative DC power supplies and electronic loads up to megawatt power levels — directly competing with AMETEK's i-BEAM and Mi-BEAM platforms in battery and EV test applications.
• Kikusui Electronics: Kikusui makes programmable DC power supplies, electronic loads, and AC sources used in battery, EV, and compliance testing — directly comparable to AMETEK's Sorensen and Asterion product families, especially in the Asian market.
• XP Power: XP Power manufactures programmable and modular AC/DC power supplies serving industrial, healthcare, semiconductor, and test equipment markets, with portfolio overlap to AMETEK's Asterion DC and Sequoia ranges.
• TDK-Lambda: TDK-Lambda manufactures programmable DC power supplies and AC sources targeting industrial, semiconductor, and test applications — directly comparable to AMETEK's Sorensen and California Instruments lines across similar wattage ranges.

Broad incumbents

• Keysight Technologies: Keysight is a broad incumbent in electronic test and measurement with a programmable power portfolio (AC sources, DC supplies, regenerative loads) that competes with AMETEK at the high-power end; it is much larger and offers broader instrumentation suites including oscilloscopes and analyzers.
• Rohde & Schwarz: Rohde & Schwarz is a broad test and measurement incumbent with AC/DC power sources (R&S NGS, R&S NGL) used in compliance and production test — a more measured-focused alternative to AMETEK's California Instruments and Sorensen portfolios.
• National Instruments (NI, part of Emerson): NI is a broad incumbent in automated test and measurement, supplying modular instruments and software-defined test platforms that overlap with AMETEK's LXI/IEEE-1588 based programmable power offerings, particularly in EV and aerospace test systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/prog_power
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ametek-programmable-power

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AMETEK Programmable Power