Transphorm Selected as World Economic Forum 2013 Technology Pioneer
Transphorm Inc. today announced its selection by the World Economic Forum as a 2013 Technology Pioneer, citing the company's innovations in GaN technology. The World Economic Forum (WEF) selected its 2013 Technology Pioneers in the areas of information technology, telecommunications and new media, energy and environment, and life sciences and health, based on demonstrative vision and leadership in their fields, innovative ideas and approaches, and their impact on society and business.
"Transphorm is delighted and honored to be selected as a Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum," said Transphorm CEO Umesh Mishra. "By redefining power conversion using our proprietary Gallium Nitride-based products, Transphorm is solving the immediate and urgent problem of unnecessary waste in power conversion -- saving valuable resources and enabling new energy efficient systems today."
According to the announcement from the WEF, "While gallium nitride appears to have substantial advantages, it can also prove extremely challenging to work with. For one thing, gallium nitride can't be mined; it must be chemically grown on a foreign substrate which can be a tricky process, particularly when high quality standards need to be met. Transphorm realizes that it is breaking into a completely new technology that will take time to penetrate the market, so the company plans initially to manufacture its own chips. It is targeting large mainframe servers as its first clients. After that, it will consider notebook computers, PV inverters and eventually automakers. One factor in Transphorm's favor is that gallium nitride is already used in manufacturing white LEDs, so some tools for its production are already available."
Transphorm says its efficient, compact, and easy-to-use solutions can cut total world electrical energy waste by as much as 10 percent and simplify the design and manufacturing of a wide variety of electrical systems and devices, including motor drives, power supplies and inverters for solar panels and electric vehicles.
