Briefs: Deals in SiC, GaN, Smart Grids, Storage, and EVs

Power electronics companies and others are collaborating to develop technology to meet the needs of industrial electrification, power grids, energy storage, and electric vehicles. Targeting industrial, automotive, energy storage, and grid infrastructure, Navitas and Magnachip are partnering on ultra-high-voltage silicon carbide technology.

Ionate and General Motors are working together to increase grid stability through smart technology, and Brookfield Asset Management will acquire Aypa Power, specializing in energy storage systems, from Blackstone Energy in a $7 billion project. In the U.K., Ricardo has joined Project SUITE to contribute to gallium nitride technology in electric vehicle traction inverters.

Companies are partnering and innovating as high-voltage needs increase.

Navitas and Magnachip Partner for Ultra-High-Voltage SiC Adoption

Navitas Semiconductor Corporation and Magnachip Semiconductor Corporation have formed a strategic alliance to accelerate high-voltage and ultra-high-voltage silicon carbide adoption in industrial electrification, automotive, energy storage, and power grid infrastructure.

Magnachip will license Navitas' GeneSiC Trench-Assisted Planar device technology to expand market availability of high-efficiency power conversion hardware. The licensing arrangement spans 1200 V, 2300 V, 3300 V, and higher-voltage GeneSiC platforms.

Magnachip will utilize Navitas' established SiC raw materials ecosystem and supply chain to streamline market entry. Process integration, qualification, and high-volume production will occur internally at Magnachip's semiconductor fabrication facility in South Korea. The licensed wide-bandgap technology complements Magnachip's current product line of analog, mixed-signal, and silicon MOSFET power platform solutions.

GeneSiC Trench-Assisted Planar. Image used courtesy of Navitas

The implementation targets high-power system architectures demanding reduced switching losses, higher voltage handling capability, and elevated operating efficiency. Navitas and Magnachip intend to establish further collaborative engagements across additional power electronics domains.

Ionate and GM Team Up for Smart Grid Technology

Ionate and General Motors are collaborating to modernize electrical infrastructure by deploying smart grid technology that provides sub-millisecond power visibility, prevents grid outages, and increases energy resiliency.

Ionate will install its Hybrid Intelligent Transformer technology at General Motors' 900,000-square-foot Romulus manufacturing plant in Michigan. The solid-state hardware operates at greater than 99% efficiency while sensing and resolving power flow issues in real time. Engineering teams finalized U.S.-standard 3 MVA IEEE units for the facility rollout.

The Hybrid Intelligent Transformer. Image used courtesy of Ionate

The deployment accommodates 33% more distributed energy resources, carries 25% more power without upgrading poles and wires, and reduces wasted power by 6%. Individual hardware nodes coordinate through Ionate's Aurora software platform to scale grid capacity.

Brookfield Acquires Aypa Power in a $7 Billion Deal

Brookfield Asset Management will acquire battery energy storage developer Aypa Power from Blackstone Energy Transition Partners for an enterprise value of $7 billion, corresponding to an equity value of $3 billion. The acquisition provides Brookfield with a scaled entry point into the North American battery energy storage systems market to supply grid-stabilizing capacity for utilities, data centers, and corporate power buyers.

Aypa operates 6.5 GW of operating, under-construction, and contracted capacity alongside a development pipeline exceeding 20 GW across 33 to 35 projects in the U.S. and Canada. The transaction includes Aypa's platform and its 200-person workforce.

Long-term power purchase agreements cover 95% of operating and under-construction assets with investment-grade power customers, carrying an average remaining contract life of 17 years. The deal will target transmission- and capacity-constrained regional electrical grids.

Funding comes from the $20 billion Brookfield Global Transition Fund and institutional partners, including Brookfield Renewable Partners. The acquisition remains subject to customary regulatory approvals, with Cantor Fitzgerald, Bank of America, Kirkland & Ellis, and White & Case acting as legal and financial advisors.

Ricardo Joins Nissan-Led Project SUITE To Develop EV Technologies

Ricardo has joined Project SUITE, a £10 million U.K. government-backed initiative led by Nissan Technical Centre Europe, to design next-generation gallium nitride traction inverters for electric vehicles.

Project SUITE uses bidirectional vehicle-to-grid technology, including an Automated Charging Device and an Intelligent Charging Management System, to discharge stored renewable energy back into the power grid when vehicles are idle to support grid stability.

Ricardo will design and build low-cost GaN power modules operating at 50 kW and 150 kW power levels, targeting mainstream electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf. The wide-bandgap semiconductors allow higher switching frequencies at reduced power losses, yielding lower manufacturing costs than silicon carbide alternatives.

The 2026 Nissan Leaf. Image used courtesy of Nissan

RAM Innovations will assist with module design, while software provider weeteq will embed artificial intelligence monitoring and control algorithms into the inverter controller to maximize operational reliability. Power modules will undergo industry-standard testing at University of Bristol laboratories.

The U.K. government funds the three-year initiative through the £4 billion DRIVE35 program, administered by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK and Innovate UK. The traction inverter effort leverages five years of internal wide-bandgap research at Ricardo.