News: Microelectronics
1 March 2024
Wise-integration raises €15m in Series B funding round
Wise-integration of Hyeres, France — which was spun off from CEA-Leti in 2020 and designs and develops gallium nitride (GaN) integrated circuits and digital-control technologies for power supplies — has raised €15m in a Series B funding round led by imec.xpand and joined by Supernova Invest, BNP Paribas Developpement, Région Sud Investissement (RSI), Creazur, CASRA Capital and Angels for Greentech.
The round should fuel mass production and commercial deployment of the firm’s flagship products, WiseGan and its digital-control technology WiseWare, and its support for clients globally as they adopt these solutions. The round included the five investors from the previous funding round plus three new investors.
“The €15m of new funding will accelerate the company’s international expansion, ongoing R&D programs and the introduction of new products and solutions,” says CEO Thierry Bouchet. “This funding will enable Wise-integration to accelerate our commercial development and product development and the launch of a new generation of high-performance GaN technology, which is designed to seamlessly integrate with digital controls and boost the efficiency and performance of power systems across various sectors,” he adds. “A third roadmap focus will be to broaden our WiseWare product development, targeting high-value markets, such as industrial, telecom and automotive sectors.”
Since its launch in 2020, the fabless company has built a portfolio of more than 10 patent families for power electronics. WiseGan encompasses GaN power integrated circuits designed to maximize the benefits of GaN technology, including higher power density, efficiency and reduced heat generation. WiseWare is a 32-bit, MCU-based, AC-DC digital controller optimized for GaN-based power supply architectures, offering simplified system design, a lower bill of materials and improved power density and efficiency.
Target markets include consumer electronics, from laptops to e-bikes, scooters and motorcycles, to industrial applications like robotics, as well as data centers and electric vehicles. All its solutions address the increasing demands for miniaturization, electrification and efficient power management.
Wise-integration has established a GaN supply chain to support its mass production and commercialization strategy, while ensuring what are claimed to be competitive costs in the market.
“Wise-integration's GaN technology can play a significant role in the global shift to electrification by enhancing the efficiency and performance of power systems across various sectors,” comments imec.xpand partner Cyril Vančura. “In the four years since its founding, this start-up has demonstrated the vision, drive, execution and technological knowhow to deliver game-changing power electronics solutions,” he adds.
“We strongly believe in the huge potential of its WiseWare digital control technology and associated WiseGan components, anticipating a profound revolution in the power conversion market that propels GaN technology to replace legacy solutions even more rapidly,” says Damien Bretegnier, investment director, Supernova Invest.
Wise-integration launches compact 120mΩ GaN half-bridge power IC
