Power Integrations has announced a major extension of its PowiGaN gallium nitride technology to a 2200 V rating, which the company says exceeds the voltage capability of other commercially available GaN technologies. The development significantly expands the addressable voltage range for GaN and targets emerging high-voltage applications including AI data centers, electric vehicles, renewable energy, battery storage and HVDC infrastructure.
The 2200 V technology is particularly relevant as power architectures migrate toward higher DC bus voltages to improve efficiency and power density. Power Integrations highlighted next-generation AI data centers as a major opportunity, with industry roadmaps moving beyond today’s 800 VDC architectures toward potential 1500 V distribution systems. The additional voltage headroom provided by 2200 V GaN could enable designers to use GaN in applications where voltage requirements have historically favored silicon carbide.
Power Integrations is already extending GaN into these higher-voltage systems. Its 1700 V PowiGaN ICs are being designed into single-stage auxiliary power applications in data centers, while 1250 V devices provide an alternative to stacked lower-voltage switches in the main power path of 800 VDC architectures. The new 2200 V platform pushes this strategy further by providing sufficient voltage margin for future higher-voltage buses.
The development is strategically important for the competitive positioning of GaN versus SiC. GaN has traditionally delivered advantages in switching frequency and power density but has been constrained by lower commercially available voltage ratings. High-voltage applications have therefore remained an important stronghold for SiC. By extending GaN to 2200 V, Power Integrations is attempting to bring GaN’s high-frequency characteristics into applications previously considered beyond its practical voltage range.
The potential system-level impact could be significant. Higher-voltage GaN devices could reduce the need to series-connect multiple lower-voltage switches, simplifying power stages while reducing component count and potentially improving power density and reliability. Power Integrations specifically identifies solar inverters, HVDC systems, advanced industrial power conversion, EV systems and data center infrastructure as potential applications.
The announcement also highlights how AI infrastructure is accelerating technology competition between GaN and SiC. Yole Group analyst Roy Dagher noted that GaN’s historical voltage ceiling has limited its participation in the main power path of high-voltage data center architectures, leaving much of this opportunity to SiC. According to the figures cited in the announcement, Yole expects the power GaN device market to reach $3.5 billion by 2031.
Original – Power Integrations