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Compound Semiconductor Centre Participates in UK SiC Supply Chain Project

June 22, 2019 by Scott McMahan

The Compound Semiconductor Centre is partnering on the project which was awarded £9.8m in funding through the Advanced Propulsion Centre (APC). The ESCAPE project (End-to-end Supply Chain development for Automotive Power Electronics) intends to create a complete end-to-end supply chain for next-generation SiC power electronics, which is a crucial component in all types of electric vehicles, whether automotive, railway, marine, or aviation.

This funding is part of the UK government's £33 million investment through APC to advance the country's low-carbon automotive capabilities and to develop the next generation of low-carbon vehicles. The ESCAPE project, led by McLaren Applied Technologies, is one of five projects awarded funding including the development of high-performance battery packs, electrified construction equipment, and hydrogen-powered engines.

Twelve other partners will support the creation of the integrated supply chain. These include other industry leaders such as The University of Warwick, Turbo Power Systems, Tribus-D, MaxPower Semiconductor, Lyra Electronics, Exawatt, the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, Clas-Sic Wafer Fab, and AESIN.

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"McLaren Applied Technologies is proud to be at the forefront of research and development into power electronics and we're looking forward to further advancing this, and taking the ESCAPE project to the next level thanks to the support of the Advanced Propulsion Centre," Anthony Murray, CEO McLaren Applied Technologies, commented.

"The demand for Silicon Carbide power components is growing rapidly, and we welcome the opportunity to work with our partners to ensure the UK has a world class future supply chain in this critical technology," Wyn Meredith, CSC Director commented.

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