GaN Systems is a Power Conversion Game Changer
Gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors can no longer be considered a niche product, but rather an emerging market standard of power conversion. The innovative potential of GaN recently captured the attention of Frost & Sullivan when it awarded GaN Systems the 2019 European New Product Innovation Award. Frost and Sullivan’s Research Analyst, Aravindhan Pillai, noted “because [GaN Systems’] transistors’ proprietary design and packaging are optimized for high frequency and high yield, they can potentially revolutionize the entire client ecosystem across different economy segments.”
This award signals that the future of power semiconductors will be innovated through gallium nitride and that GaN Systems is a leader of its peers. Art Robbins, President, Consulting & Senior Partner at Frost & Sullivan, best defined the significance of this award in 2018 when he said, “awards are presented to companies that inspire growth in their industries… They identify emerging trends before they become the market standard and they create solutions that drive differentiation and sustainable growth. They are the game changers.”
The value of new product innovations is based on a company’s ability to successfully bring new products to market that have a profound impact on its customers. To determine the recipient of the New Product Innovation Award, Frost and Sullivan’s analysts independently evaluate two key factors — New Product Attributes and Customer Impact. The New Product Attributes examine five criteria, including match to customer needs, reliability, quality, positioning, and design. The Customer Impact evaluates price/performance value, customer purchase experience, customer ownership experience, customer service experience and brand equity. Furthermore, the best practices evaluation involves a ten-step process to perform an in-depth examination of all candidates, including recurring interviews with thought leaders and industry practitioners. For GaN Systems to be evaluated under Frost and Sullivan’s rigorous analysis and come out on top is a tremendous accomplishment that demonstrates three things:
1. GaN Systems is highly regarded by industry leaders and experts.
2. GaN Systems is highly regarded by its customers for offering excellent experience, support, and value. This translate into customer loyalty.
3. Compared to its competitors, GaN Systems was found to be superior in efficiency, quality, and reliability that was unmatched in its market.
The power semiconductor market is a highly competitive field. After all, silicon has a multi-decade long legacy and a familiarity that many engineers have relied on. However, silicon MOSFETs are reaching a theoretical limit on how much they can be improved and how power-efficient they can be. As even more power systems come online, we will be faced with growing demands for increased power density, high-efficiency requirements, and regulations to curb environmental pollution. We are seeing these energy demands in the forms of data centers, renewable energy management, long-range electric vehicles, industrial manufacturing, and wireless charging. Silicon is failing to meet these modern demands. GaN Systems — with lower overall system costs, power loss, and energy use — enables us to embrace our future power needs and opens the door to innovation.
By Paul Wiener, VP of Strategic Marketing for GaN Systems
