EPC and Renesas Form Strategic Alliance to Drive Next-Generation GaN Power Technology Adoption
Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC), widely recognized as the global leader in enhancement-mode gallium nitride (eGaN®) power devices, has announced a significant strategic licensing agreement with Renesas Electronics Corporation, a premier global provider of advanced semiconductor solutions and high-voltage GaN transistors. This collaboration represents a major step forward in the evolution of power electronics, combining the strengths of two industry leaders to deliver high-efficiency, high-performance power solutions across a wide range of applications.
EPC, under the leadership of CEO Alex Lidow, has been at the forefront of the GaN power revolution for over a decade. Its eGaN technology offers a compelling alternative to traditional silicon power devices, providing higher efficiency, faster switching speeds, and smaller form factors. These advantages are increasingly critical as designers of power electronics face the physical limitations of silicon, particularly in applications that demand high power density, low energy loss, and minimal environmental impact. By partnering with Renesas, EPC is expanding the reach of its technology and enabling a broader adoption of GaN solutions across multiple high-growth markets.
This agreement marks an exciting moment for our company and the industry as a whole,” said Alex Lidow, CEO of EPC. “Together, EPC and Renesas are forming a global alliance that will deliver state-of-the-art power efficiency, reduce costs in AI data centers, and enhance autonomous systems. By combining our low-voltage GaN expertise with Renesas’ high-voltage capabilities, we are creating a comprehensive GaN portfolio that addresses a broad spectrum of power applications.”
Expanding GaN Technology Access
Under the terms of the agreement, Renesas will gain access to EPC’s proven low-voltage eGaN technology, along with its established supply-chain ecosystem. This access enables Renesas to accelerate its entry into the low-voltage GaN market, an area of rapidly growing demand driven by applications ranging from data center power architectures to battery-powered consumer electronics. Over the next year, EPC and Renesas plan to collaborate closely to establish internal wafer fabrication capabilities for these products, ensuring that production scalability and quality meet the demands of high-volume markets.
Additionally, Renesas will act as a second-source manufacturer for several of EPC’s popular GaN devices that are already in mass production. This approach not only enhances supply-chain resilience for customers but also broadens access to high-performance GaN solutions, giving designers more flexibility and assurance when specifying GaN devices for critical applications. By leveraging both companies’ expertise, customers will benefit from a more reliable supply of advanced GaN power devices, accelerating the adoption of GaN across diverse applications.
Advantages of GaN over Silicon
As the demand for higher efficiency and power density increases, conventional silicon-based power devices are approaching their physical limits. Silicon MOSFETs and other traditional components face challenges in achieving the performance levels required for modern applications, particularly those involving high-speed switching, compact form factors, and low energy loss. GaN transistors, by contrast, offer multiple advantages that make them ideally suited for next-generation power electronics.
GaN devices exhibit higher efficiency due to lower conduction and switching losses, which translates directly into energy savings and reduced operating costs. Their faster switching speeds allow for smaller passive components, reducing system size and weight. This is particularly important in applications such as AI data centers, electric vehicles (EVs), drones, robotics, and renewable energy systems, where space, efficiency, and thermal management are critical design constraints. Additionally, GaN devices support higher power densities, enabling designers to build smaller, lighter, and more efficient systems that meet increasingly demanding performance requirements.
The collaboration between EPC and Renesas is poised to accelerate the adoption of GaN technology across both low- and high-voltage applications. By combining EPC’s low-voltage eGaN expertise with Renesas’ high-voltage GaN capabilities, the partnership offers customers a comprehensive portfolio that spans the full spectrum of power conversion needs. This includes applications ranging from consumer electronics and client computing to AI data centers, autonomous systems, EV chargers, solar inverters, and industrial motor drives.
Enhancing AI Data Center Efficiency
One of the most compelling drivers for GaN adoption is the growing need for efficient power architectures in AI data centers. As artificial intelligence workloads expand, data centers are consuming ever-increasing amounts of power, creating significant operational costs and environmental impacts. GaN transistors, with their superior efficiency and power density, provide a path to reduce these costs while maintaining high performance.
By leveraging EPC’s low-voltage eGaN technology, Renesas can now offer solutions for AI power architectures ranging from 48V down to 12V and even 1V. This enables data center designers to optimize power delivery networks, minimize energy losses, and reduce cooling requirements. The result is a more efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable data center, capable of supporting the next generation of AI and high-performance computing workloads.
“Expanding our business into low‑voltage GaN allows us to serve the fastest‑growing power segments,” said Rohan Samsi, Vice President of the GaN Business Division at Renesas. “This agreement with EPC complements our established high-voltage 650V+ portfolio and enables us to capitalize on high-volume markets such as AI power architectures, client computing, and battery-operated applications. Together, we can offer a seamless GaN solution across the entire voltage spectrum.”
Strengthening the GaN Ecosystem
Renesas is already a major player in the global semiconductor industry, with multi-billion-dollar annual revenues, extensive sales and marketing capabilities, and robust manufacturing operations. The company recently acquired Transphorm, a leading provider of high-voltage GaN solutions, further enhancing its GaN portfolio. Renesas’ expertise in high-voltage applications includes AC-DC power supplies, EV chargers, solar inverters, and industrial motor drives, where high reliability and robustness are essential.
By integrating EPC’s low-voltage eGaN devices into its portfolio, Renesas now offers one of the most comprehensive GaN solutions in the industry. This integration enables designers to leverage a unified GaN platform across multiple applications, from high-voltage industrial systems to low-voltage consumer and AI-focused power architectures. The alliance also strengthens the overall GaN ecosystem by providing customers with greater supply assurance through qualified second sourcing and access to established manufacturing capabilities.
The combined expertise of EPC and Renesas is expected to drive innovation in multiple high-growth markets. For instance, in eMobility, GaN devices enable smaller, lighter, and more efficient motor drives, contributing to longer EV range and improved overall system performance. In robotics and drones, GaN transistors reduce weight and heat generation while increasing power density, enabling more compact designs with longer operational times. Even in emerging applications such as low-cost satellites and lidar-based remote sensing, GaN technology provides unparalleled performance advantages over silicon.
The Future of GaN Power Electronics
The strategic alliance between EPC and Renesas represents a major milestone in the GaN revolution. By combining EPC’s leadership in low-voltage eGaN technology with Renesas’ high-voltage GaN expertise and global manufacturing capabilities, the partnership is well-positioned to accelerate the adoption of GaN power solutions across industries. This collaboration not only enhances supply chain resilience but also expands the reach of GaN technology to new markets, driving efficiency, performance, and sustainability.
As power electronics designers continue to push the limits of performance, efficiency, and miniaturization, GaN devices will play a critical role in shaping the next generation of power systems. The combined portfolio offered by EPC and Renesas addresses both low- and high-voltage applications, from small consumer devices to large-scale AI data centers and industrial systems. This comprehensive approach ensures that GaN technology can be adopted seamlessly across diverse applications, paving the way for a more energy-efficient and technologically advanced future.
In conclusion, the EPC-Renesas alliance underscores the transformative potential of GaN technology in power electronics. By delivering higher efficiency, faster switching, and smaller form factors, GaN devices are redefining the boundaries of what is possible in power conversion. With EPC and Renesas working together, the industry is poised to accelerate the transition from silicon to GaN, enabling more sustainable, cost-effective, and high-performance power solutions for years to come.
