Power Integrations (NASDAQ: POWI), the leader in high-voltage integrated circuits for energy-efficient power conversion, today announced that PowiGaN™ gallium-nitride (GaN) technology is now rated at up to 2200 V, far exceeding the voltage capabilities of all other commercially available GaN technologies. This breakthrough positions PowiGaN as the leading technology solution for high-voltage data centers, EVs, renewable energy and HVDC infrastructure as they leverage higher-voltage bus architectures in search of greater power density.

“Our 2200 V PowiGaN technology provides substantial voltage margin for emerging high-voltage power systems while enabling the high switching frequencies required to maximize power density,” said Jennifer Lloyd, president and CEO at Power Integrations. “Emerging applications include next-generation AI data centers, where industry roadmaps point toward 1500 V distribution architectures, as well as future EV battery and auxiliary power systems operating at increasingly higher output voltages (48V). This milestone breakthrough extends the reach of GaN into voltage ranges traditionally served by SiC, enabling a compelling high-frequency alternative for applications such as solar, HVDC and advanced industrial power conversion.”

GaN power switches are steadily supplanting silicon transistors in a wide range of power conversion applications thanks to their higher efficiency and switching frequencies. However, GaN technology must keep pace with data center, EV, renewables and HVDC infrastructure roadmaps calling for higher voltages and greater power density. Alternatives include lower-frequency silicon carbide (SiC) or arrays of stacked, lower-voltage GaN devices that require compromises on power density, complexity and reliability.

PowiGaN ICs rated at 1700 V are already being designed into single-stage data center auxiliary power applications, while 1250 V PowiGaN offers a simpler alternative to stacked solutions in the main power path in 800 VDC data centers. The introduction of 2200 V PowiGaN technology means that even higher bus architectures can be supported, future-proofing power designs not only for data centers but also for EVs, photovoltaic inverters and battery-energy storage systems.

“The shift to 800 VDC bus architectures in AI data centers is reshaping power semiconductors," explains Roy Dagher, PhD, technology and market analyst, Compound Semiconductors at Yole Group. "GaN's voltage ceiling has kept it out of the main power path, ceding that ground to SiC. A 2200 V rating changes this, giving margin for single-stage topologies and future-proofing emerging 1500 V data center and EV designs. We expect the power GaN device market to reach $3.5 billion by 2031, and extending GaN into these higher-voltage applications is an important part of that growth.”(1)