AC to DC conversion has been designed the same way for ~40 years. Large investments have been made on the DC side. AC conversion has been left stagnant, creating the same challenges of form factor, heat generation, efficiency, and component supply continuity. Almost all AC to DC applications have the same process of Rectification, Filtering, and stepping down voltages. While the process works, they require several components and generate too much heat.
The components themselves have a lot of challenges for continuity of supply. The circuits are comprised of electromechanical components that, by their material composition, have a lot of wear and tear in the harsh environments of AC/DC conversion.
These high conducting components also strongly contribute to the heat generation, which accelerates wear and tear, impacting the reliability. Protection functions are critical in these applications to account for the harsh environment of AC/DC conversion applications.
Finding a way to create higher level of silicon integration would solve these industry issues.
