Navitas GaN ICs Save First 100,000 Tons of CO2 Emissions

­Navitas Semiconductor has announced the first saving of 100,000 tons of CO2 emissions as GaN replaces legacy silicon chips to “Electrify Our World”.

GaN uses up to 10x-lower CO2 footprint to manufacture and ship compared to silicon, while reducing the end-application CO2 footprint up to 30%. Each GaN power IC shipped saves net 4 kg CO2 in comparison, and GaN offers the potential to address a reduction of 2.6 Gtons CO2/yr by 2050 – equivalent to the CO2 generated by over 650 coal-fired power stations, over six billion barrels of oil, over 560 million ICE passenger cars – or the annual electricity use of over 470 million homes.

100,000 tons is a conservative estimate of cumulative customer savings in CO2 emissions, based on Navitas’ unit shipments, and third-party life-cycle assessment (LCA) of a 65W USB-C charger example. This also considers a six-month delay, accounting for shipping inventory and customer assembly. Navitas completed a comprehensive analysis working together with EarthShift Global and completed an ISO14040/14044-compliant comparative LCA report quantifying the benefits of Si power semiconductor components vs GaN power ICs and USB-C chargers using GaN power IC products.

“The analysis shows that GaN power ICs provide a step-function improvement in environmental impacts over the incumbent Si solutions. As Navitas converts the world from Si to GaN over the next 5-10 years, the sustainability benefits will become significant in achieving global customer and nation net-zero goals", states Anthony Schiro, VP Quality and Sustainability at Navitas. 

“A total life-cycle assessment, spanning 'cradle-to-(beyond-the)-grave' presents a holistic view, and it is critical to understand energy-usage and CO2 emissions from boule to device, and to ensure that we’re not shifting impacts to other areas of concern” commented Lise Laurin, CEO of EarthShift Global. “It’s critical that we apply a rigorous, data-driven approach to provide genuine insight into systems, products and processes, and broader perspectives are central to achieving greater sustainability.”

Navitas’ GaNFast power ICs integrate GaN power with drive, plus control, sensing and protection, allowing systems to consume less energy, minimize and reduce additional electronic components (e.g. magnetics, filters, capacitors), as well as mechanical components (e.g. PCB area, metal/plastic housing, aluminum heatsinks), which reduce oil/refinement demand, lowering shipping costs and CO2 footprint.

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