GaNの話

At the GaN Wine Lounge at PCIM Nuremberg, Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio moderated a discussion with Alex Lidow, CEO and Co-Founder of EPC, and Roberto Crisafulli, Head of GaN Marketing and Applications at Nexperia. They explained how GaN is rapidly displacing silicon MOSFETs in AI power delivery, motor drives, robotics, and data centers due to its higher efficiency, power density, and switching frequency. They also stressed the need for ecosystem collaboration and proper qualification standards, noting that GaN reliability is now well understood, enabling mainstream adoption.

This presentation explores how low-voltage GaN devices can outperform traditional high-voltage solutions in multi‑kilowatt DC‑DC converters for AI data centers and industrial automation. Using multi‑stage ISOP topologies, Michael de Rooij demonstrates benefits in heat distribution, interleaving for drastic current‑ripple reduction, simpler low-voltage magnetics, lower EMI, and improved conduction losses. Two high-power converter prototypes (800 V to 12 V and 800 V to 50 V) are detailed, along with practical regulation strategies that minimize penalties in efficiency and power density. Watch the video

At PCIM, Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) showcased rapid advances in gallium nitride (GaN) technology that deliver higher efficiency, higher frequency, and greater power density than silicon MOSFETs. Alex Lidow presented new Gen 7 GaN devices from 150 V down to 18 V, optimized for AI server power architectures (800 V down to 6–12 V) and high-frequency point-of-load converters. He also outlined a roadmap for highly integrated GaN motor drives for robots and drones, emphasizing miniaturization, protection, and future current-sensing integration.

The proliferation of small electric motors in robotics and unmanned aerial systems is creating demand for highly integrated and efficient motor-drive electronics. In the context of humanoid robot joints, robotic hands, and lightweight drone propulsion systems, we require power converters that have a high current density in very limited mechanical space.

This talk presents new server power architectures using 800 V DC distribution and ISOP converters. It compares 800 V→50 V power-shelf solutions with 800 V → 12.5 V direct-to-board designs, highlighting GaN-based EPC2305/EPC2366, flux-cancellation magnetics, and measured efficiencies up to 98% for high-density AI server racks.

At PCIM, Alex Lidow highlighted the latest evolution of GaN technology, emphasizing major improvements in on-resistance, capacitance, and voltage performance. He noted that seventh-generation GaN is approaching copper-like conductivity while continuing to outperform silicon MOSFETs across voltage levels. Lidow also showcased the EPC2370, featuring ultra-low on-resistance and significantly reduced capacitance. Looking ahead, EPC’s eighth-generation GaN will target low-voltage, high-frequency, and high-power-density applications, alongside monolithic motor-drive ICs for robotics and drones, with integrated protection and current sensing planned for 2027 and 2028.

AIファクトリーを強化へ：EPCのGaNソリューションがNVIDIA MGXアーキテクチャをいかに強化するか

In this video, we’ll explore the EPC90167, a half-bridge evaluation board designed for the 40 V EPC2366 eGaN FET. This compact 2.5 by 2 inch board integrates the gate driver, dead-time generation, polarity control, and all key passive components, so you can quickly evaluate high-efficiency, high-frequency power conversion. We’ll walk through its main features, operating modes, and test points, and see how easily it can be configured as a buck or boost converter for modern motor drives, DC-DC converters, and AI power applications.

The full article was originally published in EPDT

The history of power electronics has been a predictable cadence of material limits, architectural shifts, and a new semiconductor platform resetting expectations. Today that transition is happening again, this time with gallium nitride (GaN).

In this video, Marco Palma and Andrea Nicotera, both from EPC, present experimental tests on two high‑performance reference designs: the EPC91107 four‑level flying capacitor totem‑pole PFC and the EPC91110 four‑level ISOP LLC resonant DC‑DC converter. Filmed at the Power Electronics Innovation Center, Politecnico di Torino, they demonstrate a complete 5.5 kW AC‑to‑50 V DC conversion chain, highlighting the test setup, measurement equipment, and the system’s excellent efficiency at high power levels.