onsemi has announced a collaboration agreement with GlobalFoundries to develop and manufacture advanced gallium nitride (GaN) power devices, beginning with a 650 volt (V) product line. The partnership will use GlobalFoundries’ 200 millimeter (mm) enhancement-mode (eMode) GaN-on-silicon process technology, combined with onsemi’s silicon drivers, controllers, and thermally enhanced packaging. According to onsemi, this combination targets next-generation, high-density systems where rising power demand meets physical space constraints, notably in artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
The collaboration will accelerate onsemi’s GaN roadmap, focusing initially on high-voltage power products for AI data centers, as well as for electric vehicle, renewable energy, industrial, aerospace, defense, and security markets. Devices are designed for use in applications such as power supplies and DC-DC converters for data centers, solar microinverters, energy storage, motor drives, and onboard chargers for electric vehicles.
Technical advantages highlighted by onsemi and GlobalFoundries include the ability of GaN devices to operate at higher switching frequencies, reducing system component count, size, and cost, while improving efficiency and thermal characteristics. The new 650 V GaN platform will offer bidirectional capability, enabling topologies that cut costs and simplify designs by potentially replacing up to four traditional transistors with one device. Integrated GaN devices are expected to combine field-effect transistors (FETs), drivers, controllers, isolation, and protection in a single package, enabling faster design cycles and lowering electromagnetic interference.
onsemi also reports its GaN portfolio now spans low, medium, and high-voltage lateral GaN, as well as ultra high-voltage vertical GaN, enabling system designers to create higher power density solutions in smaller footprints for advanced infrastructure applications.
onsemi expects to begin customer sampling of these new GaN devices in the first half of 2026, with the intent to rapidly scale to volume production thereafter.
Dinesh Ramanathan, Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy at onsemi, stated, “This collaboration brings together onsemi’s system and product expertise with GlobalFoundries’ advanced GaN process to deliver new 650V power devices for high-growth markets. Paired with our silicon drivers and controllers, these GaN products will enable customers to innovate and build smaller, more efficient power systems for AI data centers, EVs, space applications, and beyond. We are on track to begin providing samples to customers in the first half of 2026, and scale rapidly to volume production.”
Mike Hogan, Chief Business Officer at GlobalFoundries, stated, “By combining our 200mm GaN-on-Si platform and U.S.-based manufacturing with onsemi’s deep system and product expertise, we’re accelerating high-efficiency solutions and building resilient supply chains for data centers, automotive, industrial, aerospace and defense, and other critical markets. With onsemi as a key partner, we will continue to advance GaN semiconductors that meet the evolving demands of AI, electrification, and sustainable energy.”
Source: onsemi
