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Navitas Semiconductor announced its adoption of both technologies into Dell’s family of notebook adapters, from 60 W to 360 W.
Enabled by over 20 years of SiC technology leadership, GeneSiC leads on performance of SiC MOSFETs with patented ‘trench-assisted planar’ technology and 5th-gen GeneSiC silicon carbide (SiC) diodes to deliver high-speed, high-efficiency performance with proprietary ’low-knee’ technology for cool operation.
Navitas’ GaNFast power ICs enable high-frequency, high-efficiency power conversion, achieving 3x more power and 3x faster charging in half the size and weight compared to prior designs with legacy silicon power devices.
Navitas GaN & SiC technology together enables Dell to provide high-speed charging, with highest efficiency, coolest temperature, smallest size, and lowest material count. Dell’s latest line-up of AI notebooks includes Neural Processor Units (NPUs), which are dedicated AI engines, to manage sustained AI and AI offload. This builds on Dell’s portfolio as the broadest GaN adapter offering for notebooks in the industry.
The new adapters will also help Dell achieve its advanced sustainability goals, with a focus on CO2 reduction and energy reduction. The adapter cases require up to 50% less plastic and are made with post-recycled materials, significantly reducing energy waste, and improving resource utilization. Navitas’ GaNFast and GeneSiC technologies increase the level of system integration and switching frequency, which reduces the number of components, as well as the size, resulting in a ‘dematerialization’ that lowers carbon footprint throughout the production, packaging, and logistics processes. Each GaNFast power IC shipped saves 4 kg CO2 and every SiC MOSFET shipped saves 25 kg CO2 vs. legacy silicon power chips.
“Since Dell’s first GaN adapter was enabled by Navitas back in 2020, we’ve worked closely with Dell engineering to further improve charging speed, efficiency, size, weight, and now environmental footprint”, said Gene Sheridan, CEO and co-founder of Navitas. “Dell’s new adapters are an optimal solution for speed, portability, and sustainability. Our clients achieve a win-win for both the market and environment by deploying Navitas GaNFast power ICs and GeneSiC power devices.”
Original – Navitas Semiconductor
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As the world continues to face the challenges of climate change and environmental sustainability, Infineon Technologies AG is at the forefront of innovation, harnessing the power of all relevant semiconductor materials including silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), and gallium nitride (GaN) to drive meaningful progress towards decarbonization and digitalization.
In its 2025 predictions – GaN power semiconductors, Infineon highlights that gallium nitride will be a game-changing semiconductor material revolutionizing the way we approach energy efficiency and decarbonization across consumer, mobility, residential solar, telecommunication, and AI data center industries. GaN provides significant benefits in end customers’ applications enabling efficient performance, smaller size, lighter weight, and lower overall cost. While USB-C chargers and adapters have been the forerunners, GaN is now on its way to reaching tipping points in its adoption in further industries, substantially driving the market for GaN-based power semiconductors.
”Infineon is committed to driving decarbonization and digitalization through innovation based on all semiconductor materials Si, SiC, and GaN,” said Johannes Schoiswohl, Head of the GaN Business Line at Infineon. “The relevance of comprehensive power systems will increase with GaN manifesting its role due to its benefits in efficiency, density, and size. Given that cost-parity with silicon is in sight, we will see an increased adoption rate for GaN this year and beyond.
Powering AI will be highly depending on GaN. The rapid increase of required computing power and energy demand in AI data centers will drive the need for advanced solutions capable of handling the substantial loads associated with AI servers. Power supplies that once managed 3.3 kW are now evolving towards 5.5 kW, with projections moving towards 12 kW or more per unit. By leveraging GaN, AI data centers can improve power density, which directly influences the amount of computational power that can be delivered within a given rack space. While GaN presents clear advantages, hybrid approaches combining GaN with Si and SiC are ideal for meeting the requirements of AI data centers and achieving the best trade-offs between efficiency, power density and system cost.
In the home appliance market, Infineon expects GaN to gain significant traction, driven by the need for higher energy efficiency ratings in applications like washing machines, dryers, refrigerators and water/heat pumps. In 800 W applications, for example, GaN can enable a two percent efficiency gain, which can help manufacturers achieve the coveted A ratings. According to Infineon, GaN-based on-board chargers and DC-DC converters in electric vehicles will contribute to a higher charging efficiency, power density, and material sustainability, with a shift towards 20 kW+ systems. Together with high-end SiC solutions, GaN will also enable more efficient traction inverters for both 400 V and 800 V EV systems, contributing to an increased driving range.
In 2025 and beyond, robotics will see widespread adoption of GaN supported by the material’s ability to enhance compactness, driving growth in delivery drones, care robots and humanoid robots. As robotics technology integrates AI advancements like natural language processing and computer vision, GaN will provide the efficiency required for compact, high-performance designs. Integrating inverters within the motor chassis eliminates the inverter heatsink while reducing cabling to each joint/axis and simplifying EMC design.
Infineon is further pushing investment in GaN research and development to overcome the challenges of cost and scalability. With the broadest product and IP portfolio, the highest quality standards, leading-edge innovations such as 300 mm GaN wafer manufacturing and bidirectional switch (BDS) transistors, the company is bolstering its leading role in driving decarbonization and digitalization based on all relevant semiconductor materials including gallium nitride.
Download the “2025 GaN predictions” ebook here.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) announced the launch of the EPC91104, a high-performance 3-phase BLDC motor drive inverter reference design. This innovative design is ideal for powering compact, precision motors in humanoid robots, such as those used for wrist, finger, and toe movements.
The EPC91104 evaluation board uses the EPC23104 ePower™ Stage IC, offering a maximum RDS(on) of 11 mΩ and supporting DC bus voltages up to 80 V. The design supports up to 14 Apk steady-state and 20 Apk pulsed current, ensuring reliable performance for humanoid robot applications that require fine motor control and precision.
Key Features of the EPC91104
- Wide Voltage Range: Operates between 14 V and 80 V, accommodating a variety of battery systems
- Compact Design: Suitable for space-constrained robotics
- Advanced Protection: Includes overcurrent and input undervoltage protection, ensuring reliability in demanding applications
- Optimized Efficiency: Low-distortion switching reduces torque ripple and motor noise
Humanoid robots demand motors with precision and compactness, and the EPC91104 is specifically designed to meet those needs for applications like small joint actuation,
said Alex Lidow, CEO of EPCFor higher-current requirements, such as elbow and knee motors in humanoid robots, EPC offers the EPC9176 board in the same family. With enhanced current capacity, the EPC9176 complements the EPC91104 to cover a full range of motor drive applications in humanoid robotics.
The EPC91104 is compatible with controller boards from leading manufacturers, including Microchip, Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, and Renesas, offering engineers flexibility in development. It is equipped with comprehensive sensing and protection features, ensuring rapid prototyping and testing.
Original – Efficient Power Conversion
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Toyoda Gosei’s technology to enhance GaN substrates has been verified to improve power device performance. An article confirming it was published in Physica Status Solidi (RRL) – Rapid Research Letters, an international scientific journal for solid state physics.
Better power devices are indispensable for CO2 reduction in society, as they regulate electric power everywhere. Switching material from silicon to gallium nitride enables 90% energy-saving, superior devices, for which mass production of larger quality GaN substrates is requisite.
The Japanese Ministry of the Environment is leading a project for broad application of GaN power devices, for which Toyoda Gosei is providing technology to obtain ideal GaN crystals. One outcome of the project is a demonstrable improvement in power device performance with a GaN substrate fabricated on a GaN seed crystal that Toyoda Gosei jointly developed with Osaka University. Compared to power devices made on commercially-available substrates, power devices using these GaN substrates show higher performance in both power regulation capacity and yield ratio.
Toyoda Gosei will continue collaborating with government, universities, and other corporations for earlier dissemination of large quality GaN substrates.
Original – Toyoda Gosei
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Aehr Test Systems has received an initial production order from a top tier automotive semiconductor supplier for a FOX-XP™ wafer level test and burn-in system with fully integrated FOX WaferPak™ Aligner for production test of their gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductor devices. The FOX-XP system with integrated WaferPak Aligner is scheduled to ship immediately.
Gayn Erickson, President and CEO of Aehr Test Systems, commented, “We have been working closely with this customer for over a year to support their evaluation and qualification process for delivering GaN power semiconductor devices to their customers. We are thrilled to receive this initial production purchase order, signaling their commitment to move forward with volume production wafer level burn-in of their GaN devices on our FOX-XP platform.
“This customer has extensively utilized a FOX-NP system under an evaluation agreement for production qualification and reliability testing of their devices over the past year. As part of the evaluation, they purchased a significant number of our proprietary WaferPak full wafer Contactors to successfully qualify a wide range of GaN device types designed for multiple end use applications including industrial, solar, data center, and automotive markets.
“Our FOX-P platform allows customers using the FOX-NP for device qualification and reliability testing of power semiconductors like GaN and silicon carbide (SiC) to transition seamlessly to the FOX-XP multi-wafer fully automated system, which is capable of testing up to nine wafers in parallel and is specifically designed to handle high-voltage testing and high temperature Gate and Drain stress test requirements. By leveraging our FOX-XP system and our proprietary WaferPak full wafer Contactors, customers can easily test wafers of varying sizes from 6 to 12 inches by simply purchasing new WaferPaks, while utilizing the same FOX-XP system and FOX WaferPak Aligner.
“Like SiC, GaN semiconductor MOSFETs are wide bandgap devices that offer significantly higher power conversion efficiency than silicon. GaN is particularly well suited for lower power applications such as sub-1000-watt power converters (fast chargers) used in consumer electronics like cell phones, tablets, and laptops. Additionally, it is increasingly being adopted for automotive power converters, supporting electrical systems in both electric and traditional gasoline-powered cars, as well as being targeted at data center power applications where power efficiency and delivery are critical to support the massive amount of computing power and data storage being installed over the next decade. Along with the increased usage in automotive and data centers, many industry experts and analysts predict that GaN MOSFETs will eventually replace silicon as the preferred technology for power conversion in photovoltaic (solar panel) applications.
“We view GaN as a transformative and rapidly growing technology in the power semiconductor market. With an anticipated compound annual growth rate of more than 40%, the GaN market is projected to reach $2.5 billion in annual device sales by 2029 according to Yole Group’s Power SiC/GaN Compound Semiconductor Market Monitor. In addition, Frost & Sullivan estimates GaN semiconductors will account for over 10% of the worldwide power semiconductor industry by the year 2028. This represents a significant growth opportunity for Aehr’s wafer level test and burn-in solutions.”
The FOX-XP and FOX-NP systems, available with multiple WaferPak Contactors (full wafer test) or multiple DiePakTM Carriers (singulated die/module test) configurations, are capable of functional test and burn-in/cycling of devices such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride power semiconductors, artificial intelligence processors, silicon photonics as well as other optical devices, 2D and 3D sensors, flash memories, magnetic sensors, microcontrollers, and other leading-edge ICs in either wafer form factor, before they are assembled into single or multi-die stacked packages, or in singulated die or module form factor.
Original – Aehr Test Systems
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EPC Space announced that both its Andover, Massachusetts facility and its wafer fabrication facility in Taiwan have been certified under the JANS MIL-PRF-19500 standard.
This certification marks a significant milestone, highlighting EPC Space’s commitment to excellence and its role as a leader in providing top-tier semiconductor solutions for critical space applications. The MIL-PRF-19500 certification, managed by the U.S. Department of Defense, sets the bar for reliability, performance, and environmental resilience in semiconductor components. EPC Space’s achievement in obtaining this certification for Gallium Nitride (GaN) High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMT) is a world first.
Bel Lazar, CEO of EPC Space, commented, “Securing the JANS certification is a direct result of our relentless pursuit of quality. Our teams have worked tirelessly to ensure our products not only meet but exceed the expectations for reliability in the most demanding conditions.”
Alex Lidow, CEO of EPC Corporation, commented, “that the commitment to the MIL-PRF-19500 standard not only guarantees the durability and performance of EPC Space’s products but also reinforces the company’s dedication to supporting its customers in achieving their critical objectives.”
Looking ahead, EPC Space is set to launch 18 JANS certified Rad Hard GaN HEMT parts, ranging from 40V to 300V, throughout 2025. This expansion will further solidify EPC Space’s role as a key supplier of high-reliability electronics, crucial for space missions and other high-stakes applications.
Original – EPC Space
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ROHM and TSMC have entered a strategic partnership on development and volume production of gallium nitride (GaN) power devices for electric vehicle applications.
The partnership will integrate ROHM’s device development technology with TSMC’s industry-leading GaN-on-silicon process technology to meet the growing demand for superior high-voltage and high-frequency properties over silicon for power devices.
GaN power devices are currently used in consumer and industrial applications such as AC adapters and server power supplies. TSMC, a leader in sustainability and green manufacturing, supports GaN technology for its potential environmental benefits in automotive applications, such as on-board chargers and inverters for electric vehicles (EVs).
The partnership builds on ROHM and TSMC’s history of collaboration in GaN power devices. In 2023, ROHM adopted TSMC’s 650V GaN high-electron mobility transistors (HEMT), whose process is increasingly being used in consumer and industrial devices as part of ROHM’s EcoGaN™ series, including the 45W AC adapter (fast charger) “C4 Duo” produced by Innergie, a brand of Delta Electronics, Inc.
“GaN devices, capable of high-frequency operation, are highly anticipated for their contribution to miniaturization and energy savings, which can help achieve a decarbonized society. Reliable partners are crucial for implementing these innovations in society, and we are pleased to collaborate with TSMC, which possesses world-leading advanced manufacturing technology” said Katsumi Azuma, Member of the Board and Senior Managing Executive Officer at ROHM. “In addition to this partnership, by providing user-friendly GaN solutions that include control ICs to maximize GaN performance, we aim to promote the adoption of GaN in the automotive industry.”
“As we move forward with the next generations of our GaN process technology, TSMC and ROHM are extending our partnership to the development and production of GaN power devices for automotive applications,” said Chien-Hsin Lee, Senior Director of Specialty Technology Business Development at TSMC. “By combining TSMC’s expertise in semiconductor manufacturing with ROHM’s proficiency in power device design, we strive to push the boundaries of GaN technology and its implementation for EVs.”
Original – ROHM
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VisIC Technologies announced a new partnership aimed at advancing high-efficiency GaN inverter technology for the EV market. This collaboration will provide automotive OEMs with power semiconductors that exceed silicon carbide (SiC) performance, while offering lower costs at device and system level.
In a recent test conducted at AVL’s state-of-the-art facilities in Germany, an inverter based on VisIC’s GaN-on-Silicon D³GaN components proved an outstanding performance. Mounted on AVL’s e-motor test bench and controlled by AVLs SOP eDrive controls algorithm, the system achieved a benchmark efficiency level of 99.67% at 10kHz, stunningly climbing to over 99.8% efficiency at 5kHz — which outperforms comparable SiC inverters by up to 0.5% and is cutting energy losses by more than 60%.
This breakthrough positions the AVL and VisIC partnership as a compelling option for automakers striving to balance high efficiency with affordability in EV design. It is worth noting that VisIC’s GaN-on-Silicon power devices require significantly less energy and therefore CO2 during the chip production process compared to SiC. They can be produced in widespread 200mm and 300mm silicon foundries, which makes scaling production a straightforward process.
“With AVL, we’re making cutting-edge GaN inverter technology accessible for even more electric vehicles, establishing a new benchmark for efficiency and cost-effectiveness in the industry,” said Gregory Bunin, CTO of VisIC Technologies. “Our partnership reflects a shared commitment to driving EV innovation that’s both impactful and accessible, bringing GaN’s unparalleled performance to a broader market.”
“Working with VisICs new GaN power module for high-power systems enables us to offer our customers cutting-edge solutions that are optimally aligned with the requirements of next-generation drive systems. These include, among other things, high power density combined with reduced overall system costs,” added Dr. Thomas Frey, Head of Segment E-Mobility & E-Drive System at AVL Software and Functions GmbH. “Together, we can significantly advance e-mobility and help reduce the carbon footprint.”
Looking ahead, AVL and VisIC plan to expand their GaN-on-Si platform to include 800V GaN power modules, ensuring that their technology remains scalable and adaptable to the needs of the growing BEV market. This collaboration places AVL and VisIC Technologies at the forefront of GaN inverter technology, establishing new standards for energy efficiency and performance across the EV industry.
Original – VisIC Technologies
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GlobalFoundries has received an additional $9.5 million in federal funding from the U.S. government to advance the manufacturing of GF’s essential gallium nitride (GaN) on silicon semiconductors at its facility in Essex Junction, Vermont.
The funding moves GF closer to large-scale production of GaN chips. With the ability to handle high voltages and temperatures, GaN chip technology is essential for enabling higher performance and greater energy efficiency across a range of RF and high-power control applications including automobiles, datacenter, IoT, aerospace and defense.
With the award, GF will continue to add new tools, equipment and prototyping capabilities to its market-leading GaN IP portfolio and reliability testing as the company moves closer to full-scale manufacturing of its 200mm GaN chips in Vermont. GF is committed to creating a fast and efficient path for customers to realize new innovative designs and products that leverage the unique efficiency and power management benefits of GaN chip technology.
“GF is proud of its leadership in GaN chip technology, which is positioned to make game-changing advances across multiple end-markets and enable new generations of devices with more energy-efficient RF performance and faster-charging, longer-lasting batteries,” said Nicholas Sergeant, vice president of IoT and aerospace and defense at GF. “We appreciate the U.S. government’s partnership and ongoing support of our GaN program. Realizing full-scale GaN chip manufacturing will be a catalyst for innovation, for both our commercial and government partners, and will add resilience and strengthen the semiconductor supply chain.”
The new funding, awarded by the U.S. Department of Defense’s Trusted Access Program Office (TAPO), represents the latest federal investment to support GF’s GaN program in Vermont.
“This strategic investment in critical technologies strengthens our domestic ecosystem and national security, and ensures these assets are readily available and secure for DoD utilization. In concert with key partners, this approach fortifies defense systems, empowering resilience and responsiveness,” said Dr. Nicholas Martin, Director at Defense Microelectronics Activity.
In total, including the new award, GF has received more than $80 million since 2020 from the U.S. government to support research, development and advancements to pave the way to full-scale GaN chip manufacturing.
Vermont is a U.S.-accredited Trusted Foundry and the global hub of GF’s GaN program, with longstanding leadership in 200mm semiconductor manufacturing. In July 2024, GF acquired Tagore Technology’s Gallium Nitride Power portfolio and created the GF Kolkata Power Center in Kolkata, India. The center is closely aligned with and supports GF’s facility in Vermont, and is helping advance GF’s research, development and leadership in GaN chip manufacturing.
Original – GlobalFoundries
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Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) and IFP Energies nouvelles (IFPEN), a major French public research and training organization in the fields of energy, transport and the environment, have developed a demo which confirms the suitability of CGD’s ICeGaN®650 V GaN ICs in a multi-level, 800 VDC inverter.
The demo delivers super-high power density – 30 kW/l – which is greater than can be achieved by more expensive, state-of-the-art silicon-carbide (SiC)-based devices. The inverter realization also demonstrates the ease of paralleling that ICeGaN technology enables; each inverter node has three 25mΩ / 650V ICeGaN ICs – 36 devices in total – in parallel.
ANDREA BRICCONI | CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, CGD
“We are super excited at this first result of our partnership with IFPEN. 800 VDC supports the 800 V bus which is being increasingly adopted by the EV industry. By addressing automotive and other high voltage inverter applications with energy-efficient ICeGaN-based solutions we are delivering on CGD’s key commitment – sustainability.”This multi-level GaN Inverters can power electric motors to over 100 kW peak, 75 kW continuous power. The CGD/IFPEN demo features: a high voltage input of up to 800Vdc; 3-phase output; a peak current of 125 Arms (10s) (180 Apk); and a continuous current of 85 Arms continuous (120 Apk).
The ICeGaN multi-level design proposed by IFPEN reveals several compelling benefits:
- Increased Efficiency: the improvement in the efficiency of the traction inverter leads to an increase in battery range and a reduction in charging cycles. It also leads to a reduction in battery cost if the initial range (iso-range) is maintained
- Higher switching frequencies: GaN transistors can operate at much higher frequencies than silicon transistors. This reduces iron losses in the motor, particularly in the case of machines with low inductances
- Reduced Electromagnetic Interferences: 3-level topology minimizes EMI and enhances the reliability of the system
- Enhanced thermal management: insulated metallized substrate boards featuring an aluminium core facilitate superior thermal dissipation, ensuring optimal operating temperatures and extending the lifespan of the system and associated GaN devices
- Modular design: this facilitates scalability and adaptability for varying system requirements.
GAETANO DE PAOLA | PROGRAM MANAGER, IFPEN
“Following the implementation of this inverter reference using CGD’s enabling ICeGaN ICs coupled with innovative topologies, such as multi-level solutions, IFPEN now strongly believes that GaN is a breakthrough technology in terms of performance and cost for high-voltage traction inverters.”Original – Cambridge GaN Devices
