US chipmaker Onsemi has unveiled vertical gallium nitride (vGaN) semiconductors that support energy-intensive applications, such as AI data centers and electric vehicles.

According to the company, the chips set a new benchmark for “power density, efficiency, and ruggedness” for those applications, reducing energy and heat losses by around 50 percent.

GaN is a wide-bandgap material and can handle higher amounts of power than silicon, meaning GaN-based chips can be more efficient and durable than their silicon counterparts.

vGaN chips have a 3D structure, which allows them to conduct electricity vertically through the GaN substrate.

In a statement, the Arizona-based chipmaker said its vGaN technology is designed to handle high voltages – 1,200 volts or more – in a monolithic die, enabling higher power density than traditional semiconductor solutions.

Devices containing vGaN are also around three times smaller than commercially available lateral GaN offerings, Onsemi said.

When deployed in AI data centers, the chips can increase power density for 800V DC-DC converters for AI compute systems, greatly improving cost per rack, Onsemi claimed.

The chips were manufactured at Onsemi’s fabrication plant in Syracuse, New York. The company is already sampling both 700V and 1,200V devices to early access customers.

“vGaN is a game-changer for the industry and cements Onsemi’s leadership in energy efficiency and innovation. As electrification and AI reshape industries, efficiency has become the new benchmark that defines the measure of progress,” Dinesh Ramanathan, SVP of corporate strategy, Onsemi. “The addition of vGaN to our power portfolio gives our customers the ultimate toolkit to deliver unmatched performance. With this breakthrough, Onsemi is defining the future where energy efficiency and power density are the currency of competitiveness.”