Japan's Renesas Electronics has reportedly completed the acquisition of Transphorm, a global supplier of potassium carbide power semiconductors in the United States.
It is reported that Renesas Electronics acquired Transphorm for $339 million, and the deal reached a preliminary agreement in January 2024 and was finally officially completed on June 20, 2024. The acquisition means that Renesas will acquire all of Transphorm's technology and intellectual property rights in the GaN power semiconductor field, supporting its growth in a variety of fields, including electric vehicles, data centers, and renewable energy.
As a key material for the next generation of power semiconductors, gallium nitride (GaN) is widely used in electric vehicles, inverters, data center servers, artificial intelligence, renewable energy, industrial power conversion, and consumer applications due to its excellent power efficiency, higher switching frequency, and smaller footprint compared to traditional silicon-based periods. With the rapid development of these fields, the demand for GaN power semiconductors continues to grow.
With the acquisition of Transphorm, Renesas will gain access to in-house GaN technology, which will enable it to better meet market demand for wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor products. WBG materials such as gallium nitride and silicon carbide (SiC) have higher performance advantages than traditional silicon-based devices and are regarded as key technologies for next-generation power semiconductors. Renesas will leverage Transphorm's technological strengths to introduce more high-performance, high-reliability GaN power products to meet the growing needs of customers.
Figure: Renesas Electronics completes acquisition of Transphorm
In addition, following the acquisition, Renesas has introduced 15 new winning product portfolios to provide a more comprehensive range of power solutions. These products will cover a wider range of applications, including electric vehicles, data centers, renewable energy, etc., providing customers with more flexible, efficient and reliable power solutions.
Investing in the power business is an important part of Renesas' strategy to achieve sustainable long-term growth. Previously, Renesas Electronics had taken different measures to consolidate this segment: opening a 300mm wafer fab dedicated to the production of power products; Addition of new SiC production lines; and reached an agreement with Wolfspeed to ensure a stable supply of SiC wafers for the next 10 years.
For Renesas, the acquisition not only strengthens its position in GaN power semiconductors, but also supports its competition in the global semiconductor market. As high-growth markets such as electric vehicles continue to grow, Renesas will continue to expand its market share and achieve sustained growth by leveraging its technological strengths in GaN power semiconductors.
