Renesas’ Transphorm acquisition points to GaN writing on the wall

Less than a year after Infineon snapped GAN Systems to bolster its gallium nitride (GaN) technology roadmap, another GaN semiconductor specialist is becoming part of a bigger semiconductor company’s product portfolio. Renesas is acquiring Transphorm to leverage its GaN expertise in power electronics, serving a wide range of segments like automotive, consumer, and industrial.

The acquisition deal, amounting to approximately $339 million, is expected to be complete by the second half of 2024. Subsequently, Renesas aims to incorporate Transphorm’s automotive-qualified GaN technology in its X-in-1 powertrain solutions for electric vehicles (EVs) besides computing, renewable energy, industrial, and consumer applications.

Renesas CEO Hidetoshi Shibata joins Transphorm co-founder, president and CEO Primit Parikh to announce the $339 million acquisition deal.

After establishing an in-house silicon carbide (SiC) production supported by a 10-year SiC wafer supply agreement, Renesas is now turning to its wide bandgap (WBG) cousin GaN to broaden energy-efficient and high-voltage component offerings. According to an industry study quoted in Renesas’ press release about the Transphorm acquisition, demand for GaN is predicted to grow by more than 50% annually.

Transphorm, co-founded by Umesh Mishra and Primit Parikh in 2007, has roots in technology developed at the University of California at Santa Barbara. It claims to be the first supplier of GaN semiconductors that are JEDEC- and automotive-qualified. Transphorm managers are also quick to point to another unique aspect of the company’s technology; unlike most GaN suppliers opting for e-mode, Transphorm has adopted the d-mode delivered by a cascade (normally off).

Transphorm recently made waves by claiming that it will unveil 1,200-V GaN semiconductors. Though the Goleta, California-based outfit has demonstrated 900-V GaN devices, it calls them merely a showpiece, reiterating its commitment to GaN-on-sapphire 1,200-V semiconductors initially targeted at e-bikes and e-scooters.

Another GaN supplier is gone, and a few more are left on the block. We are likely to see more of them gobbled by bigger chipmakers in a quest to grasp this next-generation material for power electronics. Starting from scratch doesn’t seem a viable option for large semiconductor outfits, especially in a technology that’s now in roller-coaster development mode while being in the midst of commercial realization.

So, what’s left on the GaN block? While Navitas Semiconductor, growing at an impressive pace, seems an unlikely acquisition target, there are a handful of smaller GaN outfits, including Cambridge GaN Devices, Efficient Power Conversion (EPC), QPT and VisIC Technologies. Pay heed to these GaN companies and their potential suitors in 2024.

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