As 2017 begins to unfold, I’d like to recount some of last year’s key accomplishments and provide some perspective on our expectations for the New Year. Looking back, I am struck by the number of significant gains GaN Systems enjoyed last year pertaining to the adoption of GaN technology by customers, as well as the global growth of our sales and support ecosystem. Some of our 2016 key developments include:
• Signing distribution and partnership agreements with Eastronics, e2V and Richardson RFPD, aiding customers by extending our global product sales coverage and adding high level of technical expertise and customer support
• Co-developing an EV charger with HELLA and Kettering University that produces an unprecedented 2.6 kW/l
• Collaborating with Pi Innovo to provide automakers with a pathway for leveraging the benefits of GaN transistors for the efficient electrification of auxiliary systems for multi-voltage conventional, hybrid-electric, and pure electric vehicles
• Sponsoring the Geoff Haynes Future Power Challenge along with the UK EPSRC Power Electronics Centre which was won by the Imperial College London for accelerating the use of high-speed GaN transistors in power conversion and control applications
• Launching GaNNewsroom.com, a repository where power engineers and industry influencers can stay up-to-date with developments in the use and application of GaN transistors for power applications
• Launching a comprehensive evaluation platform for GaN transistors – consisting of a universal motherboard and four daughterboards – to help power design engineers to easily evaluate GaN E-HEMT performance in any system design
• Customer solutions are being deployed in key segments including an all-GaN Motor drive, Wireless power transmitters from 50 W to 250 W, Energy Storage systems from 1 kW to 50 kW, DC/DC power supplies as well as various consumer products.
Looking forward, this year we will extend our momentum, growing our teams in operations, applications and reliability to support the large number of customers using our GaN products. We’ll also continue to be actively engaged in leading technology trends. For instance, just this month GaN Systems has joined the AirFuel Alliance, bringing our wireless technology, helping to extend previously assumed limits of wireless charging, and assisting in the development of global wireless charging standards. Throughout 2017, at tradeshows and conferences, GaN Systems will continue to provide examples of how our customers have designed GaN transistors into applications that span the consumer, industrial, datacenter and transportation markets we serve.
How will 2017 differ from 2016? Perhaps the most exciting thing I’ve noticed is a shift in the type of questions asked by customers. No longer do engineers ask, “Why GaN?” Less often do they ask, “How can I use GaN?” Today, customers ask about new developments, future products, and they want a better understanding of the new topologies. Now our focus is helping engineers continue to innovate. So to make GaN easy to use, and to support our customers, we are in the process of on-boarding engineers across the globe. If you want to know how to leverage the benefits of GaN transistors, just ask. We’re here to help.
