News: Microelectronics
1 December 2022
Transphorm opens GaN application lab in Shenzhen
Transphorm Inc of Goleta, near Santa Barbara, CA, USA — which designs and manufactures JEDEC- and AEC-Q101-qualified gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistors (FETs) for high-voltage power conversion — has opened a new office in Shenzhen, China, which is fully operational and already serving the firm’s broad customer base in China.
As a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE), the site will house staff responsible for enhancing local customer support, sales and marketing efforts. It will also serve as an application lab for regional customers developing GaN-based power systems as well as global R&D efforts. The office will be overseen by Kenny Yim, Transphorm’s current VP of Asia sales, as he also assumes the role of general manager, China. He will be supported by Chun Hung Ho, head of applications, Asia, and a seven-year-veteran of Transphorm.
“China, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia house several dynamic industries re-imagining power electronics through high-performance GaN. Shenzhen also stands as a major electronics technology hub within China,” says Yim. “Establishing a formal presence in the city is critical to our growth strategy as our customers look to leverage the region’s power electronics innovation. Having an application lab there allows us to easily tap into the near-shore engineering talent pool while better supporting customers at their own local design centers.”
Transphorm’s GaN device portfolio addresses the power spectrum from 45W to 10kW+, so the firm supplies to product manufacturers operating in the broadest range of markets, from adapters and computing to broad industrial and automotive. Recently announced customer products — 65W power adapters and a medical energy storage device — were designed and manufactured in the APAC region, emphasizing the importance of Transphorm expanding its capabilities there.
“The power GaN market is expected to reach US$2bn by 2027, according to research firm Yole Intelligence. The demand for our GaN products and resources is rising in tandem,” says Tushar Dhayagude, VP worldwide sales. “We’re committed to helping our customers achieve their goals and understand that this commitment calls for dedicated field support. With that in mind, Shenzhen proved to be the optimal place to open our formal Transphorm APAC facility.”
Yim has more than 25 years of experience in the semiconductor industry, including more than a decade working for Transphorm heading up sales in the APAC region. He and his Asia team are credited with helping Transphorm develop customer relationships in markets such as power adapters, data centers, gaming, blockchain computing, and renewable energy. Yim previously held sales positions with global semiconductor companies Cree Inc (now Wolfspeed) and International Rectifier prior to its acquisition by Infineon.
“Kenny’s contributions over the past ten years at Transphorm have been instrumental in our overall customer adoption to date,” comments co-founder & president Primit Parikh. “His efforts in Asia, China in particular, have enabled us to pioneer the adoption of GaN across the power spectrum from low power to high power, including in key patented solutions such as the totem-pole PFC and a variety of other power topologies.”
