Semiconductor today

Fabless firm Cambridge GaN Devices Ltd (CGD) — which was spun out of the University of Cambridge in 2016 to design, develop and commercialize power transistors and ICs that use GaN-on-silicon substrates — has developed a 650V GaN IC for automotive applications that addresses automakers’ desire to improve inverter efficiency. ICeGaN helps designers to realise smaller, lighter inverters that help to extend EV range, which is crucial in continuing to drive consumer momentum away from internal combustion engine ICE powertrains and towards EVs...

The South Wales-based compound semiconductor cluster CSconnected has published its Strength in Places Fund (SIPF) impact report 2026, marking the conclusion of a transformative program that has established South Wales as a globally recognized hub for compound semiconductor innovation...

Next-generation AI and data-center power electronics are placing new demands on switching performance, efficiency and reliability. Meeting those demands requires high-fidelity switching data that reflects real device and module behaviour under realistic operating conditions...

Kyocera Corp of Kyoto, Japan (which manufactures fine ceramic components) has entered into a share purchase agreement for the laser diode business of Tokyo-based Ushio Inc...

Semiconductor materials and technology licensing company Atomera Inc of Los Gatos, CA, USA has announced a new approach to GaN-on-silicon that addresses a key performance barrier limiting its use in mainstream RF applications...

Covalent Corp of Sunnyvale, CA, USA has announced a strategic collaboration with UK-based Oxford Instruments that expands its semiconductor characterization offering with customer-ready, wafer-level Raman and photoluminescence (PL) workflows. The capability is now available to customers tackling defectivity, stress and strain mapping, process development, and failure analysis at full-wafer scale...

ElementUSA Inc of Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA and Colorado School of Mines (CSM) of Golden, CO, USA have been awarded $67m from the US Department of Energy (DOE) to advance the design, construction, commissioning and operation of a rare-earth element (REE) processing facility in St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana...

In late June, Tokyo-based Mitsubishi Electric Corp will begin sequentially shipping samples of two types of new 5th-generation silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (SiC MOSFETs) in bare die form...

US-based Raytheon (a business of aerospace & defense company RTX of Arlington, VA) has been awarded a $515m contract from the US Navy for the SPY-6 family of radars. The contract is a follow-on to the Integration and Production Support contract, awarded in June 2025, and includes upgrading Flight IIA destroyers with the SPY-6(V)4 variant...

As the rapid expansion of AI data centers and the intensifying race for AI computing power are accelerating the transition toward transmission speeds above 1.6Tbps, major players such as NVIDIA, Google and Meta are securing a stable supply by strategically locking in production capacity from suppliers of electro-absorption modulated lasers (EMLs) and continuous-wave distribute feedback laser diodes (CW-DFB LDs), notes market research firm TrendForce...

ROHM says that its 750V silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET has been adopted in a BBU (battery backup unit) for AI server power supplies. With the rise of generative AI, AI server power systems are shifting to higher voltages and rapidly transitioning to HVDC (high-voltage direct current) architectures. In this environment, ROHM’s device was selected as a SiC power device that supports next-generation power supply systems...

Indium Corp of Clinton, NY, USA (a supplier of refined gallium, germanium, indium and other specialty technology metals) and Ames National Laboratory have announced an R&D partnership to expand US production of gallium. The new alliance will focus on developing the technologies needed to establish a domestic supply chain for an element that currently relies almost exclusively on imported sources...

Efficient Power Conversion Corp (EPC) of El Segundo, CA, USA — which makes enhancement-mode gallium nitride on silicon (eGaN) power field-effect transistors (FETs) and integrated circuits for power management applications — has introduced the EPC91128, EPC91129, EPC91130 and EPC91131 evaluation boards — compact, high-performance 3-phase brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive inverter platforms designed to accelerate development of next-generation motor control systems using GaN technology...

On 29 May at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, gallium nitride (GaN) power IC and silicon carbide (SiC) technology firm Navitas Semiconductor Corp of Torrance, CA, USA participated in NVIDIA’s Partner Ceremony, which brought together key ecosystem partners supporting the NVIDIA AI Factory MGX platform, highlighting industry collaboration to accelerate the development of next-generation AI data centers powered by emerging 800VDC rack architectures...

For the past decade the electric vehicle industry has become the dominant application area for power electronics. For most power electronics players, the automotive industry has been their main source of revenue for years, and power electronics innovations have focused mainly on improving efficiency and performance across the e-powertrain...

Silicon photonics-based chip-to-chip optical connectivity firm Ayar Labs of San Jose, CA, USA — which is pioneering co-packaged optics (CPO) for AI scale-up — has joined the NVIDIA NVLink Fusion ecosystem, and is making its products optically and electrically compatible with NVIDIA optical and SerDes technologies. This allows hyperscalers and system innovators to build optically connected AI infrastructure around NVIDIA’s NVLink Fusion platform and partner ecosystem...

The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) and quantitative cathodoluminescence (CL) solutions provider Attolight SA of Ecublens, Switzerland have announced the opening of a new demonstration laboratory at the university. The equipment is designed to support the rapidly growing wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor industry by offering advanced material characterization services and collaborative research opportunities...

Cree LED Inc of Durham, NC, USA (a Penguin Solutions brand) has launched its new XLamp XE-B LEDs, extending the XLamp Element family into an even smaller form factor to enable new levels of design flexibility and performance. The XE-B LEDs feature an ultra-compact 0.9mm x 1.4mm package engineered to deliver high intensity in optical systems, whether used individually or in arrays...

Sivers Semiconductors AB of Kista, Sweden (which supplies RF beam-former ICs and lasers for AI data-center, SATCOM, defense and telecom applications) has announced a strategic collaboration with GlobalFoundries of Malta, NY (GF, the only US-based pure-play foundry with a global manufacturing footprint, including facilities in the USA, Europe and Singapore) to develop silicon photonics solutions for the high-growth AI infrastructure market...

In booth 243 (Hall 6) at the PCIM 2026 (Power Electronics, Intelligent Motion, Renewable Energy and Energy Management) Expo & Conference in Nuremberg, Germany (9–11 May), fabless company Wise Integration of Hyeres, France is showcasing its latest WiseWare-powered AC–DC demo boards, highlighting its roadmap toward distributed digital control with the new generation of WiseGan Digital First power ICs...