Microchip Brings Edge AI to Electrical Safety From Chandler

By Kyle Macdonald, COO of Silicon Oasis

Artificial intelligence is usually discussed in terms of chatbots, software and massive data centers. A new collaboration involving Chandler-based Microchip Technology shows another side of the technology: AI embedded directly into the systems that keep modern infrastructure safe.

Asahi Kasei Microdevices announced September 8 that its CZ39 and CZ3K current sensors have been incorporated into Microchip’s machine-learning-based Arc Fault Detection reference design.

The system combines AKM’s sensing technology with Microchip’s dsPIC33A Digital Signal Controller. Instead of sending information to an external computing system, the controller can process electrical signals and run machine-learning inference locally. That allows the system to identify patterns associated with dangerous electrical arcs while supporting faster, localized decision-making.

Arc faults can result from damaged wiring or poor electrical connections and can generate enough heat to cause fires. Reliable detection therefore matters across increasingly electrified infrastructure, including solar systems, battery storage, EV charging, industrial equipment and data centers.

For Arizona, the announcement illustrates how the semiconductor ecosystem can intersect with several of the state’s other emerging technology sectors.

Arizona is simultaneously building semiconductor capacity, data-center infrastructure, renewable-energy projects, battery systems and advanced manufacturing operations. Technologies that make those systems safer and smarter will become increasingly important as that physical infrastructure grows.

Microchip’s presence in Chandler puts Arizona engineering directly inside that transition.

The larger Silicon Oasis opportunity is not simply to manufacture more chips. It is to become a place where semiconductor expertise connects with AI, energy, defense, mobility and advanced manufacturing to solve real-world problems.

That convergence is beginning to happen here.

Articles of Reference:
https://www.akm.com/global/en/about-us/news/2026/20260908-afd-microchip/
https://datacentremagazine.com/news/how-akm-and-microchip-are-tackling-data-centre-arc-faults