Texas Instruments has set ambitious sustainability goals, committing to powering 100 percent of its U.S. operations with renewable electricity by 2027 and extending this commitment globally by 2030.
Headquartered in Dallas, the US-based global semiconductor firm Texas Instruments has officially commenced manufacturing of gallium nitride (GaN)-based power semiconductors at its second facility in Aizu, Japan. With the addition of the Aizu plant, TI’s production capacity for GaN semiconductors is expected to quadruple as the factory reaches full operational levels.
With a current revenue generation of Rs 1,352 trillion, the company provides numerous product ranges, from GaN-based power semiconductors to low—to high-voltage, to enable energy-efficient, reliable, and power-dense electronics. TI added that with over 80 million hours of testing and cutting-edge protection features based on the company’s proprietary GaN-on-silicon process, the GaN chipset is impeccably designed to keep high-voltage systems safe.
To manufacture four times more GaN semiconductors, the company also stressed that this milestone in GaN production will help them manufacture a greater portion of its GaN chips internally as part of a strategic plan to increase internal manufacturing to over 95 percent by 2030. The expansion also leverages multiple TI locations to secure a reliable supply of high-power, energy-efficient GaN semiconductors, ensuring product availability and flexibility to meet growing customer demand.
Speaking of the company’s investment into Gallium Nitride (GaN) manufacturing, it conducted a pilot project to develop GaN manufacturing processes on 300mm wafers. The GaN manufacturing techniques developed fully adapt to 300mm wafer technology, providing a seamless path to scaling production.
According to Mohammad Yunus, TI’s senior vice president of Technology and Manufacturing, with a decade of potential expertise in designing and producing top-notch GaN chipsets, the company is now finally qualified to produce the 200mm GaN technology, one of the most cost-effective methods for producing these chips.
Gallium nitride (GaN) is emerging as a compelling alternative to silicon in semiconductor technology due to its superior characteristics, making it ideal for next-generation power solutions. The crucial benefits include energy efficiency, switching speed, power solution size and weight, overall system cost, and performance under high temperatures and high-voltage conditions. These characteristics make GaN-based chips beneficial for various applications, such as power adapters and chargers for laptops, mobile phones, motors for HVAC systems and appliances, electric vehicles (EVs), industrial machinery, and data centers, where efficiency and space-saving designs are crucial.
Kannan Soundarapandian, vice president of High-Voltage Power at TI said, “With GaN, TI can deliver more power, more efficiently in a compact space, which is the primary market need driving innovation for many of our customers. As designers of systems such as server power, solar energy generation and AC/DC adapters face challenges to reduce power consumption and enhance energy efficiency, they are increasingly demanding a reliable supply of TI’s high-performance GaN-based chips. TI’s product portfolio of integrated GaN power stages enables customers to achieve higher power density, improved ease of use and lower system cost.”
