News: Microelectronics
19 April 2022
Navitas joins PowerAmerica consortium
GaN power integrated circuit firm Navitas Semiconductor of El Segundo, CA, USA and Dublin, Ireland has announced its membership of PowerAmerica, a public-private research initiative established in 2014 between industry, government, national labs and academia dedicated to accelerating the adoption of wide-bandgap (WBG) silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power electronics.
Navitas says that, as a member of PowerAmerica, it will provide input into initiatives to help companies that use power semiconductors to upgrade beyond legacy silicon, and access resources and relationships contributing to business growth.
GaN runs up to 20x faster than legacy silicon and enables up to 3x more power, 40% energy savings and 3x faster charging in half the size and weight. Navitas’ GaNFast power ICs integrate GaN power and drive plus sensing, protection and control circuits to deliver simple, small, fast and efficient power conversion performance for mobile, consumer, enterprise, eMobility and new energy markets. Over 145 Navitas patents are issued or pending.
With adoption by customers including Samsung, Dell, Xiaomi, Lenovo and LG, the firm’s technology is now available with a 20-year limited warranty, which is reckoned to be a critical accelerator for GaN’s adoption into higher-power data-center, solar and electric vehicle (EV) markets.
“The upgrade from legacy silicon to WBG semiconductors is critical to supporting environmental goals by dramatically reducing power consumption and accelerating the adoption of sustainable technologies,” says Navitas’ chief operating officer/chief technology officer & co-founder Dan Kinzer. “The consortium’s membership network of entrepreneurs, technologists and academic partners is helping to drive this revolution and we are excited to be part of this increasingly important eco-system.”
Navitas’ senior director of marketing, Llew Vaughan-Edmunds, is currently the chairman of PowerAmerica and will lead the MAC meeting during the PowerAmerica 2022 Summer Workshop on NC State Campus in Raleigh, NC on 2 August. At the workshop, Navitas will host a technology seminar to introduce GaNFast power ICs with GaNSense technology, and stress high-quality, high-capacity manufacturing, with over 40 million units shipped and zero reported GaN-related field failures.
“With its proven integrated GaN technology and its focus on applications that range from consumer electronics through electric vehicles to data centers and solar power, Navitas brings important technology and solutions knowledge to the PowerAmerica eco-system,” comment PowerAmerica’s executive director & chief technology officer professor Victor Veliadis.
Navitas announces first 20-year warranty for GaN ICs
Navitas samples GaN power ICs for data-center, solar and EV customers
