Mitsubishi Electric has announced a new type of power semiconductor and is accelerating the development of technologies for the next-generation EV and renewable energy markets. These products offer new options to significantly improve power efficiency and productivity.
Mitsubishi Electric Exhibits 8th Generation IGBT-Equipped Industrial Modules – NEPCON Japan
🟦 Mitsubishi Electric’s New Power Semiconductor and the Challenge of the Next-Generation EV Market
Mitsubishi Electric unveiled a new power semiconductor at a technology exhibition at Tokyo Big Sight. This semiconductor uses silicon carbide (SiC) as the base material, which has the characteristic of greatly improving power efficiency. The new wafer is 200 millimeters in diameter and is designed to increase the number of chips per substrate compared to conventional wafers. This allows them to be installed in the drive of electric vehicles (EVs) to extend driving range and manage power efficiently. In addition, products that can be used for voltage conversion applications for solar power generation and storage batteries were exhibited, and are expected to play an active role in the next-generation energy market.
🟦 Background to Technological Innovation and Mitsubishi Electric’s Strategy
With the growth of the EV market, the demand for efficient energy management is increasing. In anticipation of this, Mitsubishi Electric plans to invest more than 260 billion yen in its power semiconductor business by fiscal 2025. The use of silicon carbide (SiC) has the potential to significantly reduce power losses compared to conventional silicon (Si) and is being applied not only in EVs but also in industrial applications and energy infrastructure. In addition, the company is actively expanding its production bases and entering into partnerships in the United States, Europe, and other countries in order to strengthen its presence in the global market. These moves also aim to contribute to the realization of GX (Green Transformation).
🟦Summary
Mitsubishi Electric’s new power semiconductors are key technologies that enable improved power efficiency and productivity, supporting the growth of the EV and renewable energy markets. This is expected to make the next generation of energy infrastructure more efficient and sustainable.
Although SiC power semiconductors are showing signs of settling down after a temporary boom, demand is expected to increase in the future. I feel that investing under these circumstances is likely to yield positive results in the long run.