“Six kilowatts in a 60 by 60 millimeter by 11 millimeter high solution, which translates into about 2.5 kilowatts per cubic inch power density — that’s a very high performance, high density solution.” Chris Keimel, Chief Technology Officer at Menlo Micro at APEC 2026.
At APEC 2026, Menlo Micro was presenting its Ideal Switch technology in the context of power electronics, backed by a recently announced milestone: the successful completion of Task 4 of the U.S. Navy’s 10 MW Advanced Circuit Breaker Development Program, in partnership with Microchip Technology.
Task 4 demonstrated a 1,000 V, 500 A panel system built from four 1,000V/125A modules, reliably handling 0.5 MW and showcasing a scalable architecture intended for productization across defense, data center, and industrial power systems. The program’s end goal is a 10 MW system, and the modular architecture is designed to scale toward that target.
The technology is worth understanding on its own terms. Rather than relying on semiconductor junctions, Menlo’s solution uses a metal-to-metal switching architecture that enables physical conduction when closed. This reduces resistive losses and heat generation, significantly reducing or eliminating the need for heat sinks or complex thermal management systems. For engineers accustomed to thinking about IGBT or SiC MOSFET thermal design, that’s a meaningful distinction. The low on-resistance of the MEMS contact removes the conduction loss mechanisms that typically drive cooling requirements.
The Ideal Switch can interrupt circuits ten times faster than conventional mechanical breakers, and the system can operate without heat sinks, a notable advantage in weight-limited applications. The commercial implications extend beyond defense: solid-state circuit breakers for DC power distribution in AI data centers represent a potential near-term application, where fast fault isolation and high reliability in dense rack environments align with what the technology offers.
Menlo Micro also recently announced the MM4250, a cryogenic SP6T switch targeting quantum computing applications, reflecting the Ideal Switch platform’s range across both power and RF signal domains.
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