Center for Power Electronics Systems

What Center for Power Electronics Systems does

The Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) is a research and education center at Virginia Tech, founded in 1977 as the Power Electronics Research Group, renamed the Virginia Power Electronics Center in 1983, and elevated to National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center status in 1998. CPES operates a five-university consortium including Virginia Tech, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, North Carolina A&T State University, and University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez, with headquarters in Blacksburg, VA and a satellite laboratory at the Virginia Tech Research Center in Arlington, VA. The Center's research spans power conversion technologies, power electronics components, modeling and control, EMI and power quality, and high-density integration, with cumulative historical outputs of 171 patents awarded, 302 invention disclosures, 3,095 publications, 178 PhDs, and 191 M.S. degrees, supported by a current team of approximately 176 members and annual research expenditures of $6-10M.

CPES generates revenue through a tiered industry consortium membership model (Affiliate, Associate at $20K, Principal at $40K, Principal Plus at $60K annual fees) and sponsored research contracts. Its 78-80+ member companies span major semiconductor manufacturers (Infineon, Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, GlobalFoundries), industrial OEMs (ABB, Eaton, Siemens, Schneider Electric, Hitachi Energy), automotive firms (General Motors, Ford, Toyota, Nissan), and aerospace and defense primes (Lockheed Martin, GE Aerospace). Membership benefits include automatic IP-sharing for Principal-level members, Industry Advisory Board participation, access to three mini-consortia (Power Management Consortium, High Density Integration, High Power Consortium), and engagement with faculty and graduate students.

Core technical infrastructure includes a 19,000 sq.ft. headquarters in Whittemore Hall with high-power testing capability up to 1 MW at 4,160V, an Integrated Packaging Laboratory featuring a class 10,000 cleanroom, and computer-aided design infrastructure supporting SPICE, Saber, Ansys Electromagnetics Suite, MATLAB, and PLECS. The Center's foundational technology, Integrated Power Electronics Modules (IPEM), was successfully commercialized in motor drives and microprocessor power management. Recent strategic emphasis includes power delivery research for data center and AI infrastructure, with focus on GW-level power systems, thermal management, and rapid deployment for AI computing workloads.

Name

Center for Power Electronics Systems

Legal name

Virginia Tech Center for Power Electronics Systems

Website

https://cpes.vt.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

CPES is a Virginia Tech-affiliated research and education center that conducts multi-university power electronics research and operates an industry consortium of 80+ companies, providing shared research results, faculty engagement, and intellectual property access in exchange for tiered membership fees and sponsored research funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Power Electronics Research Services

NAICS

Electric Power Transmission, Control, and Distribution (22112), Power, Distribution, and Specialty Transformer Manufacturing (335311), Solar Electric Power Generation (221114), Electric Power Generation (22111)

SIC

Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600), Power, Distribution & Specialty Transformers (3612), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Renewable Power Electronics & Advanced Inverters R&D (SiC/GaN, Grid-Forming, HVDC Converter Tech) (EUAMAOAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Power Electronics for Renewable & Grid-Tied Applications (Solar inverters, wind converters, grid-tie interfaces) (IMAGADAJ), Grid-Scale Power Conversion & Interconnection (PCS, Grid-Tie Inverters, Converter Stations) (IMAGAAAI), Public Research Universities with Multi-Campus Systems (EDAHAAAI)

Keywords

• Power electronics research
• Industry consortium
• Power conversion systems
• Electronic packaging research
• Power semiconductor integration

Headquarters

HQ city

Blacksburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations

Revenue model

1. Industry Consortium Membership Fees: Annual membership fees at four tiers: Affiliate (in-kind donations below $20,000/year), Associate ($20,000/year), Principal ($40,000/year), and Principal Plus ($60,000/year). Members gain access to research results, faculty, students, facilities, publications, and for higher tiers, IP sharing and mini-consortium participation.
2. Sponsored Research: Direct collaboration between company engineers and CPES researchers with defined technical objectives, scope, deliverables, timelines, and cost. CPES conducts diverse portfolio of sponsored research projects with industry and government partners. In 2025, CPES managed 50+ active projects totaling more than $9.5 million. Also includes government-sponsored research access for consortium members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Center for Power Electronics Systems operates an industry-funded university research consortium that conducts multi-university research, education, and technology transfer in power electronics, including packaging, integration, and control of power conversion systems. It sells consortium membership, sponsored research projects, focused mini-consortia, short courses, and industry residence engagements to corporate members.

Product overview

CPES is a research and education center at Virginia Tech, not a product company. It offers a portfolio of research consortia programs (Power Management Consortium, High Density Integration, and High Power Consortium), an Industry Consortium membership program with four tiers, short courses for continuing education, and an Industry Residence Program. These programs collectively provide industry members access to shared research results, faculty expertise, state-of-the-art facilities, and opportunities to influence research directions in power electronics technology spanning from grid-scale systems to on-chip power delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Industry Consortium Membership Annual paid membership that gives companies access to CPES's multi-university research program, shared facilities, research results, IP licensing rights, and graduate recruiting pipeline across the power electronics domain.
• Mini-Consortia (PMC, HDI, HPC)
• Sponsored Research Projects
• Short Courses on Power Electronics
• Industry Residence Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 171 patents awarded and 302 invention disclosures filed over center history
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• ABB, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Plus member of CPES Industry Consortium. ABB collaborates with CPES on power electronics research and development for grid and industrial applications.
• Analog DevicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Plus member of CPES Industry Consortium. Analog Devices partners with CPES for semiconductor and power management research.
• Delta ElectronicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Plus member of CPES Industry Consortium. Delta Electronics collaborates on power supply and components research.
• EatoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Plus member of CPES Industry Consortium. Eaton partners with CPES for electrical, hydraulic, and aerospace power electronics solutions.
• GE AerospacecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Plus member of CPES Industry Consortium. GE Aerospace collaborates with CPES on aviation power electronics systems.
• GE VernovacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Plus member of CPES Industry Consortium. GE Vernova partners on energy generation and distribution systems research.
• Hitachi EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Plus member of CPES Industry Consortium. Hitachi Energy collaborates on grid-scale power electronics and HVDC transmission research.
• Infineon TechnologiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Plus member of CPES Industry Consortium. Infineon partners on power semiconductor solutions and wide bandgap technology research.
• Lockheed Martin CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Plus member of CPES Industry Consortium. Lockheed Martin collaborates on defense and aerospace electronics systems.
• Texas InstrumentscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Plus member of CPES Industry Consortium. Texas Instruments partners on analog and embedded processing power solutions.
• Schneider ElectriccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Plus member of CPES Industry Consortium. Schneider Electric collaborates on energy management and automation systems.
• Siemens Corporate TechnologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrincipal Plus member of CPES Industry Consortium. Siemens partners on industrial automation and power systems research.
• National Science FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCPES was established as an NSF Engineering Research Center (NSF ERC) in 1998. The center continues to receive NSF funding and conducts government-sponsored research accessible to industry members.
• University of Wisconsin-MadisoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal consortium partner university. Part of the 5-university NSF ERC consortium with Virginia Tech, UW, RPI, NCAT, and UPRM.
• Rensselaer Polytechnic InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal consortium partner university. Part of the 5-university NSF ERC consortium.
• North Carolina A&T State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal consortium partner university. Part of the 5-university NSF ERC consortium.
• University of Puerto Rico-MayagüezcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOriginal consortium partner university. Part of the 5-university NSF ERC consortium.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• WEMPEC (Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronics Consortium): University of Wisconsin-Madison's long-standing industry consortium for power electronics and electric machines. Operates the same member-funded, multi-tier model as CPES and is its closest direct competitor for corporate R&D consortium budgets in North America.
• Aalborg University Department of Energy Technology: Aalborg University's Center of Excellence for Power Electronics is a globally recognized European research hub. Comparable research scope and industry engagement model, especially with European power-electronics OEMs.
• Georgia Tech Center for Distributed Energy: Georgia Tech's power electronics and distributed energy research programs. Competes with CPES for industry consortium members in the southeastern US and shares overlapping automotive and grid research applications.
• University of Texas at Austin Power Electronics Research Lab: UT Austin's power electronics group, led by Alex Huang, conducts research on WBG devices, HVDC, and grid applications. Comparable research scope and competes for similar industry-sponsored funding and faculty talent.
• FREEDM Systems Center: NSF Engineering Research Center at NC State University focused on power distribution systems and power electronics. Shares CPES's ERC lineage and government/industry funding model, and competes for similar grid-modernization member sponsorships.
• MIT Power Electronics Research Group: MIT's power electronics research group, led by faculty including David Perreault, works on high-frequency power conversion and WBG devices. Comparable in research prestige and competes for top PhD candidates and industrial collaborations.
• ETH Zurich Power Electronic Systems Laboratory: Leading European university power electronics lab at ETH Zurich, focused on converters, drives, and WBG technologies. A global academic peer that attracts similar industry-sponsored research and talent.

Broad incumbents

• Oak Ridge National Laboratory Power Electronics: ORNL runs substantial power electronics and electric drive research programs serving automotive and grid applications. Functions as both collaborator and competitor for industry-sponsored research in CPES's focus areas.
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL): US national laboratory with a large power electronics and energy systems research portfolio, including WBG and grid-forming inverter work. Operates with government funding rather than a member consortium model, but competes for the same industry research dollars and prestige.
• ABB Corporate Research: ABB's central research organization, which conducts in-house power electronics R&D for grid and industrial applications. As both a CPES Principal Plus member and an industry R&D leader, it represents the type of internal capability that may compete with consortium value over time.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-power-electronics-systems
• Xx.com/virginiatechcpe

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center for Power Electronics Systems