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Manufacturers of cutting-edge audio equipment constantly seek to enhance sound quality while also meeting the growing demand for compact, lightweight, more integrated, and energy-efficient designs. At the same time, they must ensure seamless connectivity, cost-effectiveness, and user-friendly functionality, making audio product development more complex than ever.
To overcome these challenges, SounDigital has integrated CoolGaN™ transistors from Infineon Technologies AG into its new 1500 W Class D amplifier, featuring an 800 kHz switching frequency and five channels. Infineon’s advanced GaN technology has improved the energy efficiency of the amplifier by five percent and reduced energy loss by 60 percent.
“We are excited to enhance the performance of our audio amplifiers using Infineon’s GaN power semiconductors, enabling us to inspire people and provide entertainment by amplifying music around the world,” said Juliano Anflor, CEO of SounDigital. “GaN transistors significantly enhances our overall system performance with minimized system cost and increased ease of use.”
“GaN technology is transforming the audio amplifier industry, providing unparalleled efficiency and performance,” said Johannes Schoiswohl, Head of the GaN Business Line at Infineon. “Infineon’s leading GaN solutions deliver superior sound quality, higher power density, and reduced energy consumption, enabling SounDigital’s audio systems to reach new levels of fidelity and performance.”
For its 1500 W Class D amplifier, SounDigital selected Infineon’s 100 V normally-off E-mode transistors: IGC033S101 in a PQFN-3×5 package and IGB110S101 in a PQFN-3×3 package. With their low on-resistance, the transistors are ideal for demanding high-current applications, enabling significant improvements in both sound quality and efficiency of SounDigital’s amplifier.
The GaN-based amplifier also delivers high performance while reducing power dissipation by 75 W, allowing for a 50 percent smaller heat sink. Additionally, the overall system size has been reduced by 40 percent without compromising performance. The audio quality has been further improved by the CoolGaN transistors, with total harmonic distortion (THD) reduced by 70 percent, enabling a more precise and detailed sound experience. At the same time, the idle current has been reduced by 40 percent, significantly improving energy efficiency.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Navitas Semiconductor has announced it will attend APEC 2025 and highlight the latest advances in GaN and SiC wide bandgap technologies for AI data center EV, and mobile applications. Additionally, Navitas will highlight its latest ‘paradigm in power conversion’, unveiled in a live-streamed press event on the 12th of March.
APEC takes place at Atlanta’s Georgia World Congress Center from March 16th to 20th. The company’s “Planet Navitas” stand (Booth #1107) will showcase the company’s mission to ‘Electrify our World™’ by advancing the transition from legacy silicon to next-generation, clean energy GaN and SiC power semiconductors. These technologies are designed for high-growth markets that demand the highest efficiency and power density. The shift from silicon to GaN and SiC technologies has the potential to save over 6,000 megatons of CO2 per year by 2050. Recent Navitas breakthroughs that will be highlighted on the stand include:
- Navitas’ breakthrough that will create a paradigm shift in power conversion – full details will be unveiled in a live-streamed press event on the 12th of March.
- World’s First 8.5 kW AI Data Center Power Supply: See the world’s first 8.5 kW OCP power solution achieving 98% efficiency for AI and hyperscale data centers. Featuring high-power GaNSafe™ power ICs and Gen-3 Fast SiC MOSFETs in 3-Phase Interleaved CCM Totem-Pole PFC and 3-Phase LLC topologies to provide the highest efficiency, performance, and lowest component count.
- World’s Highest Power Density AI Power Supply: Navitas delivers efficient 4.5 kW power in the smallest power-supply form-factor for the latest AI GPUs that demand 3x more power per rack. The optimized design uses high-power GaNSafe ICs and Gen-3 Fast SiC MOSFETs enabling the world’s highest power density with 137 W/in3 and over 97% efficiency.
- ‘IntelliWeave’ Patented Digital Control Optimized for AI Data Center Power Supplies: Combined with high-power GaNSafe™ and Gen-3 ‘Fast’ SiC MOSFETs to enable PFC peak efficiencies of 99.3% and reduce power losses by 30% compared to existing solutions.
- Mid-voltage GaNFast FETs targeting 48V AI data center power supplies, next-generation EV platforms EV and AI-based robotics, to enable high-frequency, high-efficiency, and high-power density power conversion systems.
- GaNSlim™: Simple. Fast. Integrated: A new generation of highly integrated GaN power ICs that will further simplify and speed the development of small form factor, high-power-density applications by offering the highest level of integration and thermal performance. Target applications include chargers for mobile devices and laptops, TV power supplies, and lighting systems of up to 500W.
- Automotive Qualified (AEC-Q101) Gen-3 Fast SiC MOSFETs with ‘trench-assisted planar’ technology: Enabled by over 20 years of SiC innovation leadership, GeneSiC™ technology leads on performance with the Gen-3 ‘Fast’ SiC MOSFETs with ‘trench-assisted planar’ technology. This proprietary technology provides world-leading performance over temperature, delivering cool-running, fast-switching, and superior robustness to support faster charging EVs and up to 3x more powerful AI data centers.
- SiCPAK™ High-Power Modules – Built for Endurance and Performance: Utilizing industry-leading ‘trench-assisted planar’-gate technology and epoxy-resin potting for increased power cycling and long-lasting reliability, SiCPAK modules offer compact form factors and provide cost-effective, power-dense solutions for applications including EV charging, drives, solar, and energy storage systems (ESS).
- New Advancements in our Leading GaNFast & GeneSiC technology:
- GeneSiC MOSFETs specifically optimized for EV traction modules with additional screening and gold metallization for sintering.
- GaNSense™ motor drive ICs with bi-directional loss-less current sensing, voltage sensing, and temperature protection, further enhancing performance and robustness beyond what is achievable by any discrete GaN or discrete silicon device.
Navitas will participate and present in the Industry Session which showcases the latest work in all areas of power electronics.
Technical Presentations:
Wednesday 19th March
- ‘GaNSlim Power IC & DPAK-4L Package Enables 100W, 100cc, PD3.1 Continuous Power Solution with 95% Efficiency’
- 2:20 pm, IS14.3, A411, Tom Ribarich, Sr Dir. Strategic Marketing
- ‘500kHz Inverter Design Using Bidirectional GaN Switches’
- 8:30 am, IS11.1, A403, Jason Zhang, VP Applications & Technical Marketing
- ‘Advancing Power Solutions: Integrating Wide Bandgap Technologies for Next-Generation Applications’
- 1:30 pm – 4:55 pm ET, IS14, Llew Vaughan-Edmunds, Session Chair.
- ‘WBG Converter Design’
- 8:30 am – 11:55 am ET, IS11.1, Jason Zhang, Session Chair.
Thursday 20th March
- ‘Marketing & Technology Trends in Power Electronics’
- 10:10 AM – 11:50 AM ET, Stephen Oliver, Session Chair.
Original – Navitas Semiconductor
