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Ernst & Young LLP (EY US) announced that Gene Sheridan, CEO and co-founder of Navitas Semiconductor was named an Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2024 Greater Los Angeles Award finalist. Now in its 38th year, ‘Entrepreneur Of The Year’ is the preeminent competitive business award for audacious leaders who disrupt markets, revolutionize sectors and have a transformational impact on lives. Over the past four decades, the program has recognized daring entrepreneurs with big ideas and bold actions that reshape our world.
Mr. Sheridan was selected as a finalist by an independent panel of judges, and evaluated based on demonstration of building long-term value through entrepreneurial spirit, purpose, growth and impact, among other core contributions and attributes.
“We are at a pivotal time in our planet’s energy transformation, and this recognition from EY highlights the importance of Navitas’ mission to ‘Electrify Our World’ and exploit a $1.3T opportunity as we accelerate the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy,” said Mr. Sheridan. “Next-generation gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors enable fast, efficient and sustainable ultra-fast charging and power delivery in AI datacenters, advanced EVs, mobile, solar and industrial applications. EY’s recognition is a significant moment, a motivation and recognition for me and all of the contributors who have made Navitas a great company.”
Entrepreneur Of The Year honors many different types of business leaders for their ingenuity, courage and entrepreneurial spirit. The program celebrates original founders who bootstrapped their business from inception or who raised outside capital to grow their company; transformational CEOs who infused innovation into an existing organization to catapult its trajectory; and multigenerational family business leaders who reimagined a legacy business model to fortify it for the future.
Regional award winners will be announced on June 13, 2024 during a special celebration at The Beverly Hills Hotel and will become lifetime members of an esteemed community of Entrepreneur Of The Year alumni from around the world. The winners will then be considered by the National judges for the Entrepreneur Of The Year National Awards, which will be presented in November at the annual Strategic Growth Forum®, one of the nation’s most prestigious gatherings of high-growth, market-leading companies.
In addition to Entrepreneur Of The Year, EY US supports other entrepreneurs through the EY Entrepreneurial Winning Women™ program and the EY Entrepreneurs Access Network to help connect women founders and Black and Hispanic/Latino entrepreneurs, respectively, with the resources, network and access needed to unlock their full potential.
Original – Navitas Semiconductor
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GlobalFoundries Inc. (GF) announced preliminary financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2024.
Key First Quarter Financial Highlights
- Revenue of $1.549 billion
- Gross margin of 25.4% and Non-IFRS gross margin of 26.1%
- Operating margin of 9.5% and Non-IFRS operating margin of 12.1%
- Net income of $134 million and Non-IFRS net income of $174 million
- Non-IFRS EBITDA of $577 million
- Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities of $4.2 billion
“In the first quarter, GF’s dedicated teams across the world delivered financial results that exceeded the high end of the guidance ranges we provided in our February earnings release,” said Dr. Thomas Caulfield, president and CEO of GF. “As pockets of the semiconductor industry begin to emerge from the inventory correction, our teams are driving foundry innovation and differentiation for our customers across their essential end-markets. We are delighted with the awards from both the U.S. Department of Commerce and New York State to expand our manufacturing capability in the United States, which will complement our unique global capacity offering.”
Recent Business Highlights
- As part of the U.S. CHIPS and Science Act, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced $1.5 billion in planned direct funding for GF’s New York and Vermont facilities. The proposed funding will support expansion and technology diversification, enabling secure capacity for automotive, aerospace and defense and other key markets.
- In addition, New York State announced over $600 million in planned funding under the New York State Green CHIPS and other state benefits for GF’s two Malta, New York projects.
- GF is furthering its commitment to sustainable operations and fighting climate change with the announcement of two new long-term goals to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and 100% carbon neutral power by 2050. The new 2050 goals are aligned with Paris Agreement goals and build upon GF’s Journey to Zero Carbon pledge in 2021.
Original – GlobalFoundries
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Littelfuse, Inc. announced the launch of the IX4352NE Low-side SiC MOSFET and IGBT Gate Driver. This innovative driver is specifically designed to drive Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs and high-power Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) in industrial applications.
The key differentiator of the IX4352NE lies in its separate 9 A source and sink outputs, which enable tailored turn-on and turn-off timing while minimizing switching losses. An internal negative charge regulator also provides a user-selectable negative gate drive bias for improved dV/dt immunity and faster turn-off. With an operating voltage range (VDD – VSS) of up to 35 V, this driver offers exceptional flexibility and performance.
One of the standout features of the IX4352NE is its internal negative charge pump regulator, which eliminates the need for an external auxiliary power supply or DC/DC converter. This feature is particularly valuable for turning off SiC MOSFETs, saving valuable space typically required for external logic level translator circuitry. The logic input’s compatibility with standard TTL or CMOS logic levels further enhances space-saving capabilities.
The IX4352NE is ideally suited for driving SiC MOSFETs in various industrial applications such as:
- on-board and off-board chargers,
- Power Factor Correction (PFC),
- DC/DC converters,
- motor controllers, and
- industrial power inverters.
It’s superior performance makes it ideal for demanding power electronics applications in the electric vehicle, industrial, alternate energy, smart home, and building automation markets.
With its comprehensive features, the IX4352NE simplifies circuit design and offers a higher level of integration. Built-in protection features such as desaturation detection (DESAT) with soft shutdown sink driver, Under Voltage Lockout (UVLO), and thermal shutdown (TSD) ensure the protection of the power device and the gate driver. The integrated open-drain FAULT output signals a fault condition to the microcontroller, enhancing safety and reliability. Furthermore, the IX4352NE saves valuable PCB space and increases circuit density, contributing to overall system efficiency.
Notable improvements over the existing IX4351NE include:
- A safe DESAT-initiated soft turn-off.
- A thermal shutdown with high threshold accuracy.
- The charge pump’s ability to operate during thermal shutdown.
The new IX4352NE is pin-compatible, allowing for a seamless drop-in replacement in designs that specify the existing Littelfuse IX4351NE, which was released in 2020.
“The IX4352NE extends our broad range of low-side gate drivers with a new 9 A sink/source driver, simplifying the gate drive circuitry needed for SiC MOSFETs,” commented June Zhang, Product Manager, Integrated Circuits Division (SBU) at Littelfuse. “Its various built-in protection features and integrated charge pump provide an adjustable negative gate drive voltage for improved dV/dt immunity and faster turn-off. As a result, it can be used to drive any SiC MOSFET or power IGBT, whether it is a Littelfuse device or any other similar component available on the market.”
Original – Littelfuse
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DACO Semiconductor has developed new platforms of Power MOSFET products called Standard HV Power MOSFETs and High Performance HV Power MOSFETs that cover 900V and 1200V range. Those HV MOSFETs are designed with a proprietary chip design and undergo process improvements that dramatically enhance the power handling capability and system efficiency.
High Performance HV Power MOSFETs product family integrates a faster body diode which reverse recovery time (trr) is reduced to suite phase-shift bridge motor control and uninterruptible power supply applications (UPS).
Both standard HV Power MOSFETs and High Performance HV Power MOSFETs include a wide product line and bring the benefits of enhanced performance and cost-effectiveness to key market applications in the mid-voltage range.
Example applications are offline switch-mode power supplies of all sizes, UPS and telecommunication applications. DACO Semiconductor offers a superior market standard SOT-227 and HB-9434 (34mm) packages. Others packages like discrete TO-247 and 62mm modules are under development.
Features:
- International Standard Packages
- Dynamic dv/dt Rating
- Avalanche Rated
- Fast Intrinsic Rectifier
- Low reverse recovery time trr
Applications:
- Switch-Mode and Resonant-Mode Power Supplies
- DC-DC Converters
- Battery Chargers
- UPS
- AC Motor Drives
- High Speed Power Switching Applications
Original – DACO Semiconductor
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Infineon Technologies AG reported the results for the second quarter of the 2024 fiscal year (period ended 31 March 2024).
- Q2 FY 2024: Revenue €3.632 billion, Segment Result €707 million, Segment Result Margin 19.5 percent
- Outlook for FY 2024: Based on an assumed exchange rate of US$1.10 to the euro, Infineon now expects to generate revenue of around €15.1 billion plus or minus €400 million (previously €16 billion plus or minus €500 million), with a Segment Result Margin of around 20 percent (previously in the low to mid-twenties percentage range) at the mid-point of the guided revenue range. Adjusted gross margin will be in the low-forties percentage range (previously in the low to mid-forties percentage range). Investments are planned at around €2.8 (previously around 2.9 billion). Adjusted Free Cash Flow of about €1.6 billion (previously €1.8 billion) and reported Free Cash Flow of about €0 million (previously about €200 million) are now expected
- Outlook for Q3 FY 2024: Based on an assumed exchange rate of US$1.10 to the euro, revenue of around €3.8 billion expected. On this basis, the Segment Result Margin is forecast to be in the high-teens percentage range
„In the prevailing difficult market environment, Infineon delivered a solid second quarter”, says Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon. “Many end markets have remained weak due to economic conditions, while customers and distributors have continued to reduce semiconductor inventory levels. Weak demand for consumer applications persists. There has also been a noticeable deceleration in growth in the automotive sector. We are therefore taking a cautious approach to the outlook for the rest of the fiscal year and are lowering our forecast. In the medium to long term, decarbonization and digitalization will continue to be strong structural drivers of our profitable growth. In order to realize the full potential of our Company, we will further strengthen our competitiveness. To this end, we are launching the company-wide “Step Up” program. We are aiming to achieve structural improvements in our Segment Result in the high triple-digit million euro range per year.”
For the full version of this news release (incl. financial data), please download the PDF version.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Ideal Power Inc. announced a global leader in circuit protection, industrial fuses and power conversion electronics with over a billion in annual sales entered into an agreement with Ideal Power to test and evaluate B-TRAN™ power semiconductors for circuit protection in industrial markets including industrial fuses, renewable energy and energy storage power conversion, rail/transportation, and electric vehicle (“EV”) power management.
“We are excited to collaborate with a global leader in circuit protection, industrial fuses and power conversion technology interested in B-TRAN™ as an enabling technology,” said Dan Brdar, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ideal Power. “This global supplier presents multiple opportunities for us as they address several of our target markets. We look forward to gathering their feedback on their application-specific requirements to drive our product roadmap and to potentially secure design wins and/or a customer development agreement with them.”
Circuit protection is required for renewable energy grid interfaces and EV power connections. B-TRAN™ technology has clear advantages in applications including EV power transfer, DC microgrids, energy storage systems and railway substations. These applications require fast-acting circuit protection to minimize electrical faults. In addition, B-TRAN™-based circuit protection also provides dramatically lower conduction losses and bidirectional capability thereby enabling greater efficiency while simultaneously lowering component count and system costs.
Ideal Power’s patented semiconductor power switch, B-TRAN™, can reduce power losses by 50% or more over conventional power switches, depending on the application. B-TRAN™’s higher efficiency results in less heat being generated and therefore significantly lower thermal management requirements, requiring significantly smaller surface area to dissipate heat and giving rise to potentially smaller original equipment manufacturer products. B-TRAN™ offers the industry’s only symmetric bidirectional operation, reducing the number of components required for an application by 75% compared to a conventional bidirectional switch utilizing IGBTs and diodes.
This highly efficient and unique symmetric operation provides a strong competitive advantage in bidirectional applications, which are growing rapidly as transportation electrifies and power generation shifts to renewable energy coupled with energy storage. For more information on B-TRAN™, visit here.
Ideal Power plans to continue adding potential customers to the test and evaluation program. The program is expected to remain an embedded process in the Company’s sales and marketing effort and a source of input for its next generation of products. The Company’s outreach continues to generate significant new interest resulting in inquiries from potential customers about B-TRAN™, the SymCool™ power module, the SymCool™ IQ intelligent power module and participation in the test and evaluation program.
Original – Ideal Power
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Power Integrations announced an agreement to acquire the assets of Odyssey Semiconductor Technologies, a developer of vertical gallium-nitride (GaN) transistor technology. The transaction is expected to close in July 2024, after which all key Odyssey employees are expected to join Power Integrations’ technology organization.
The acquisition supports the company’s ongoing development roadmap for its proprietary PowiGaN™ technology, which is featured in many of the company’s product families including InnoSwitch™ ICs, HiperPFS™-5 power-factor-correction ICs and the recently launched InnoMux™-2 family of single-stage, multiple-output ICs. The company introduced 900- and 1250-volt versions of PowiGaN technology and products in 2023.
Commented Dr. Radu Barsan, Power Integrations’ vice president of technology: “Power Integrations has been at the forefront of GaN development and commercialization since we began shipping products with PowiGaN technology in 2018. We are executing on an ambitious roadmap that includes driving toward cost parity with silicon MOSFETs and expanding the voltage and power capabilities of PowiGaN.
Our goal is to commercialize a cost-effective high-current and high-voltage GaN technology to support higher-power applications currently served by silicon carbide (SiC), at a much lower cost and higher performance enabled by the fundamental material advantages of GaN over SiC. The experience of the Odyssey team in high-current vertical GaN will augment and accelerate these efforts, and we are delighted to add them to our team.”
Added Dr. Richard Brown, Odyssey co-founder and CEO: “The Odyssey team and I are excited to join Power Integrations in accelerating their GaN technology roadmap. As the first company to commercialize high-voltage GaN, Power Integrations continues to lead the industry in driving the technology forward in terms of cost, voltage and current, as well as the design of system-level products that take full advantage of the capabilities of GaN.”
Original – Power Integrations
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Efficient Power Conversion Corp (“EPC”) announced that the China National Intellectual Property Administration (“CNIPA”) has validated the claims of EPC patent titled “Compensated gate MISFET and method for fabricating the same” (Chinese Patent No. ZL201080015425.X) for enhancement-mode GaN semiconductor devices.
The decision on April 30, 2024 follows an April 2, 2024 announcement from the CNIPA that confirmed the validity of key claims of EPC’s Chinese patent titled “Enhancement mode GaN HEMT device and method for fabricating the same” (Chinese Patent No. ZL201080015388.2). Both EPC patents were challenged by Innoscience (Suzhou) Technology Co., Ltd. (“Innoscience”).
Compared with traditional silicon-based power devices, GaN technology represents a transformational leap with higher efficiency, faster switching speeds and smaller size. GaN devices are used in artificial intelligence servers, self-driving vehicles, next-generation rapid chargers, drones, e-bikes, and humanoid robots, among other applications. Chinese Patent No. ZL201080015425.X covers the fundamental design and configuration of EPC’s proprietary enhancement mode GaN field effect transistors (FETs) with reduced gate leakage. Most industry participants employ the GaN gate technology covered by this patent.
“These are two of the foundational patents supporting our broad portfolio of innovations, and we are pleased that the CNIPA has again confirmed the validity of our valuable intellectual property,” said Alex Lidow, CEO and Co-founder of EPC. “Quick, fair and efficient decisions such as these reinforce the confidence in legal systems that companies need to operate globally.”
In May 2023, EPC filed complaints in the U.S. federal court in Los Angeles and in the U.S. International Trade Commission, asserting that Innoscience (Zhuhai) Technology Co., Ltd. and its affiliates infringe patents of its foundational patent portfolio, which include the U.S. counterparts of EPC’s Chinese Patent Nos. ZL201080015425.X and ZL201080015388.2. In response, Innoscience had petitioned the CNIPA to invalidate the two Chinese patents.
Original – Efficient Power Conversion
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Infineon Technologies AG will provide silicon carbide (SiC) power modules HybridPACK™ Drive G2 CoolSiC™ and bare die products to Xiaomi EV for its recently announced SU7 until 2027. Infineon’s CoolSiC-based power modules allow for higher operating temperatures, resulting in best-in-class performance, driving dynamics and lifetime.
Traction inverters based on the technology can, for example, further increase electric vehicle range. The HybridPACK Drive is Infineon’s market-leading power module family for electric vehicles, with almost 8.5 million units sold since 2017.
Infineon provides two HybridPACK Drive G2 CoolSiC 1200 V modules for the Xiaomi SU7 Max. In addition, Infineon supplies Xiaomi EV with a broad range of products per car, including, for example, EiceDRIVER TM gate drivers and more than ten microcontrollers in various applications. The two companies also agreed to further cooperate on SiC automotive applications to fully utilize the benefits of Infineon’s SiC portfolio.
Zhenyu Huang, Vice President of Xiaomi EV and General Manager of the Supply Chain Department, said: “Infineon is an important partner with leading technologies and resilient manufacturing capabilities in power semiconductors as well as a highly scalable microcontroller product portfolio. The cooperation between the two companies will not only help stabilize the supply of silicon carbide for Xiaomi EV, but also help us build a high-performance, safe and reliable luxury car with leading-edge features for our customers.”
Peter Schiefer, President of Infineon’s Automotive division, said: “We are very pleased to work with dynamic players such as Xiaomi EV and provide them with silicon carbide products designed to enhance the performance of electric cars even further. As the leading partner to the automotive industry, we are well positioned with our broad product portfolio, system understanding and multi-site manufacturing base to shape the mobility of the future.”
This collaboration contributes to Infineon’s position as the number one partner of the global automotive industry. According to the latest data from TechInsights, Infineon is the largest semiconductor supplier to the automotive industry. In addition to its number one position in automotive power semiconductors, Infineon also took the lead in the field of automotive microcontrollers last year.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Nexperia announced its financial results for 2023, including strong growth in its key market segment automotive as well as increased R&D investments. With a total revenue of US$2.15bn, (US$2.36bn in 2022) Nexperia’s financial performance also reflects a challenging year for the semiconductor industry. Despite the slight decline in revenue and weak market demand, the product revenue in the traditionally strong automotive segment grew significantly.
In 2023, Nexperia had, in many ways, a strong focus on the green energy transition. For one, the company solidified its dedication to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles with the release of its inaugural ESG report. Another milestone was that Nexperia secured its first $800 million Senior Sustainability-Linked Loan (SLL), directly supporting its aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035 for scope 1 and 2 emissions. Additionally, in April 2024, Nexperia was awarded a Gold Medal by EcoVadis, placing it in the top 5% of assessed companies within its industry, reaffirming its commitment to driving positive industry change.
Moreover, the introduction of industry-leading wide-bandgap semiconductors, energy harvesting devices, and the continuous investments in its power semiconductors, ensure improved efficiency of technologies that shape a greener future. The longer-term outlook remains strongly positive given the essential role of semiconductors in the global megatrends of electrification, digitalization, automation, and green energy transition. Despite facing cyclical effects, Nexperia remains steadfast in its commitment to innovation, leveraging its 70-year semiconductor heritage.
“2023 marked a significant investment year for Nexperia, towards upgrading and expanding our product portfolio in Power Discretes, Modules, Analog & Power ICs. This investment represents 13% of our revenue, aligning us with industry standards and emphasizes our commitment to long term growth. Looking ahead to 2024, while uncertainties persist in Europe and North America, we are encouraged by increasing demand levels in Asia. Despite market fluctuations, we remain dedicated to delivering value to our stakeholders.” – Stefan Tilger, CFO, Nexperia
“TeamNexperia has shown remarkable resilience in navigating the challenges of the past year, reaffirming the underlying strength and progress of our company. Despite the challenges, we remain committed to investment and innovation, laying the groundwork for a promising future. Together, we are poised to seize the vast opportunities ahead” – Wing Zhang, CEO, Nexperia.
Original – Nexperia
