Navitas Semiconductor is developing new GaNFast and GeneSiC devices to support NVIDIA’s 800-volt direct-current power architecture, which is fast becoming the backbone of modern AI data centres. These wide-bandgap devices are built to push efficiency and reliability beyond what silicon can handle, helping engineers meet the energy demands of today’s multi-megawatt computing platforms.
The move toward 800 V DC distribution marks a major change in how power is managed inside racks. Traditional 54 V systems struggle with resistive losses and thick copper lines, limiting scalability. Higher voltage allows smaller conductors, longer reach, and reduced losses, an essential step as AI workloads drive energy use sharply upward. It also falls neatly within the IEC’s low-voltage DC category, giving data-centre designers a clear framework for global adoption.
Covering Every Stage from Grid to GPU
Navitas’ portfolio now spans each conversion point within this architecture. Its 100 V GaN FETs handle the final DC-DC stages close to the GPU, offering high switching speeds and compact, dual-cooled packaging that keeps thermals under control. The company manufactures these parts on a 200 mm GaN-on-silicon process in partnership with Power Chip to secure consistent, high-volume output.
At higher voltages, Navitas extends the range with 650 V GaN devices and GaNSafe power ICs. Each integrates drive, control, and protection circuitry, including 350-nanosecond short-circuit detection, 2 kV ESD resilience, and user-adjustable slew-rate control. That combination simplifies board design while maintaining stability under the harsh electrical conditions typical of large power shelves.
SiC for the Heavy Lifting
Where even more endurance is required, Navitas leans on its GeneSiC SiC MOSFET line. The trench-assisted planar design sustains high efficiency across a wide temperature and voltage range, from 650 V all the way to 6500 V. These devices are already proven in grid-connected inverters, industrial drives, and storage systems, and feature in several U.S. Department of Energy programmes focused on high-density power conversion.
Building the 800 V Future
By blending the speed of GaN with the strength of SiC, Navitas is positioning itself as one of the key enablers of next-generation data-centre power. The company’s technologies help shrink conversion stages, cut energy waste, and make high-density racks both smaller and more efficient, a crucial shift as AI infrastructure scales from megawatts toward gigawatt-level operations.
Learn more and read the original article on www.navitassemi.com
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