At present, shipboard integrated power systems (IPS) are evolving in the direction of complexity, modularization and automation. It is important to study reconfigurations of IPS which are fast, stable and able to cope with various emergencies in order to ensure the safety and reliable navigation of ships. This paper reviews the current research progress of IPS reconfiguration technology at home and abroad, discusses the characteristics of centralized and distributed reconfiguration, and summarizes mathematical, heuristic and artificial intelligence optimization algorithms. It then analyzes the difficulties and challenges that multiple concurrent faults pose for reconfiguration technology, and proposes focusing on the hybrid system modeling and hierarchical distributed reconfiguration frameworks. Finally, it puts forward ideas and suggestions for the future development of IPS reconfiguration in such aspects as reconfiguration model establishment, algorithm optimization and distributed frameworks.