News: Microelectronics
3 November 2022
Navitas and VREMT open joint R&D lab for EV power systems and semiconductors
Gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor of Torrance, CA, USA says that on 1 November Charles (Yingjie) Zha, VP & general manager of Navitas China, and Shuibao Guo, vice general manager of VREMT of Ningbo, Zhejiang, China (a subsidiary of Geely Group that supplies electric powertrains to ZEEKR, Volvo, Polestar and Lotus), opened a joint R&D power semiconductor laboratory in Ningbo.
Working with power system design tools and in close partnership with the system design teams of VREMT (Viridi E-Mobility Technology (Ningbo) Co Ltd), the lab will host Navitas engineers, with the aim of accelerating electric vehicle (EV) power system developments using Navitas’ GaNFast power ICs and GeneSiC power MOSFETs and diodes.
As wide-bandgap power semiconductors, GaN and SiC deliver higher efficiency at faster switching speeds, with smaller system size and lower costs than silicon chips. EV power conversion systems can hence deliver faster-charging, faster-acceleration, longer-range and lower-cost EVs, accelerating the transition from fossil-fuel to clean-air vehicles.
The joint R&D lab will be further supported by Navitas’ own EV System Design Center in Shanghai, which helps customers to maximize GaN and SiC performance advantages, including high-frequency magnetics design plus advanced packaging and modules to create higher-power-density, higher-efficiency and lower-system-cost power electronics systems for EVs.
“Navitas’ next-generation power semiconductors bring enormous value to VREMT’s design teams,” comments Guo. “We expect that Navitas’ high-frequency power system expertise will greatly reduce time-to-prototype and time-to-market for VREMT systems,” he adds.
“This new partnership is aligned on both technical goals and also for sustainability, as both companies focus on carbon neutrality,” comments Zha.
Navitas acquires GeneSiC, accelerating entry into EV, solar and energy storage markets by 2-3 years
