https://chipxglobal.com/ ADVANCING SEMICONDUCTOR DESIGN 17 www.power-mag.com Issue 4 2025 Power Electronics Europe highlights domestic capability and the opportunity to scale compound semiconductor production. This type of national and regional capability is important, but alongside this we should consider how to develop a decentralised and accessible global value chain, that provides companies with access to GaN and SiC at an affordable price. Meanwhile, innovations taking place at the back end including assembly and packaging of chips into wafers, is helping to reduce heat generation at the source. Rather than relying on energy-intensive direct-liquid cooling, advanced chipstacking and substrate design enable ambient-temperature operation - achieving stability and efficiency through architecture rather than auxiliary systems. The result is lower energy use, lower water consumption and a significant cut in total system cost. These same properties that improve data centre and compute efficiency are also transforming how power is controlled, converted and delivered across conversion and energy storage systems. Powering the hydrogen and clean-energy transition WBG semiconductors are central to the clean-energy transition. In renewable energy conversion, storage and hydrogen systems, GaN and SiC deliver compact, efficient and robust power electronics. In green-hydrogen production for example, where renewable electricity powers electrolysers to split water molecules, GaN/SiC devices increase efficiency by minimising switching and conduction losses. Their higher switching frequencies allow smaller, more affordable power modules, reducing balance-of-plant cost and physical footprint. In fuel-cell vehicles and hydrogen refuelling stations, the ability to handle high voltages and temperatures improves conversion performance and system reliability. A recent report from the Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult identifies compound semiconductors as “critical enablers across the hydrogen and energy value chain,” highlighting their importance in highefficiency power conversion for electrolysis, grid integration, and energy storage. Meanwhile, the UK’s £11 million REWIRE Innovation & Knowledge Centre, led by the University of Bristol and funded through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), is advancing wide- and ultra-WBG semiconductor technologies for highvoltage, low-energy-loss applications spanning electric vehicles, renewableenergy converters and data-centre systems As these innovations scale across sectors, they signal a wider transformation. One where material science, system design and sustainability converge to define the next era of global compute and energy. Looking ahead The story of semiconductors has always been one of constant reinvention and right now, that story is entering its next chapter. Wide band-gap materials like GaN and SiC are changing we think about power itself. The push toward data centre efficiency, green transport and renewable infrastructure all depend on the same principle: doing more with less. The companies and research centres driving this change are building a foundation for an economy that can grow without overheating the planet. There is a mindset shift taking place across the semiconductor value chain and adjacent sectors, and the next generation of chips are set to make our world more sustainable - one watt at a time.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjQ0NzM=