GaN Systems, the global leader in GaN (gallium nitride) power semiconductors, announced a US $150 million growth capital funding round to accelerate innovation and adoption of GaN technology across its automotive, consumer, industrial, and enterprise markets. Fidelity Management & Research LLC led the fundraising round.
Fidelity is joined by strategic investors, including Vitesco Technologies, a leading international developer and manufacturer of state-of-the-art powertrain technologies for sustainable mobility. Existing investor BMW i Ventures, joins Fidelity, Vitesco Technologies, and existing investors in the financing. GaN Systems will use the investment to fuel the rapid market penetration of GaN as global power electronics companies shift from legacy silicon devices to unlock the value of small, low-cost, efficient power systems.
Vitesco Technologies is the lead strategic partner in the round and has announced a broad strategic partnership with GaN Systems to enable GaN solutions across the EV platform. The strategic partnership comes on the heels of GaN Systems’ recent announcement of a capacity agreement with BMW.
“We share a successful track record in power electronics. By combining our automotive know-how with our partner’s GaN expertise, we will be able to reap the benefits of comprehensive wide-bandgap technology in the car,” said Thomas Stierle, Member of the Executive Board and head of Vitesco Technologies’ Electrification Technology business unit. “We are enthusiastic about our strategic partnership with GaN Systems to accelerate GaN adoption across our electrification solutions.”
Jim Witham, CEO of GaN Systems, said, “This transaction is a game-changer and comes at a perfect time. The demand for higher performing, more efficient power electronics is growing exponentially, and traditional silicon solutions cannot keep up. Gallium Nitride takes the baton from legacy silicon to enable smaller platforms to run cooler and use fewer materials. We stand apart from the competition as the only GaN power transistor company currently shipping to automotive, consumer, industrial, and data center customers. Our relationships with industry leaders and our $8 billion pipeline tell us that the GaN inflection is here, and the time is now to accelerate investment in the business.”
With more than 200 billion device field hours, global companies, including industry leaders like Dell, Samsung, HARMAN, Siemens, Signify, and Philips, rely on GaN Systems’ transistors to reduce levels of CO2 emissions and increase the utility and energy efficiency of their power systems. With just a small change in the electronics design, GaN Systems’ transistors empower design engineers to significantly decrease the size, weight, and power lost by 4x while reducing overall system costs.
