SiC and GaN are reshaping power electronics. What does the parts data show?
Key Summary
- SiC and GaN adoption is growing: Accuris recorded 1,057 new SiC parts and 141 new GaN parts in 2024.
- Applications differ by voltage: GaN clusters at 650 V and below; SiC dominates higher-voltage applications.
- PCB requirements differ: SiC emphasizes thermal management; GaN requires low-loss materials and short interconnects.
- Lifecycle status matters for sourcing: About 71% of SiC parts and 41% of GaN parts are active.
By Greg Jaknunas, Accuris, and Mike Carano, Global Electronics Association
Whether it's an electric vehicle, an AI data center or a renewable energy system, the demand is the same: more power and less wasted energy. That pressure is why silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power devices have gone from specialty parts to essential ones. Looking at component data alongside what happens on the fabrication floor shows how quickly that shift is happening, and what that growth demands of design, sourcing and production.
The data behind the shift
Data from engineering intelligence and electronic component data solutions provider Accuris shows that SiC new-part introductions rose from 243 in 2012 to a record 1,057 in 2024. GaN reached 141 in 2024, more than double its typical level in the late 2010s.
Supplier entry came in three waves:
- Pioneers (2000–2009): Early entrants such as Infineon, ROHM and Wolfspeed
- Industrialization (2010–2017): 32 new SiC entrants
- Scale-up (2018 to present): 23 more SiC and 16 new GaN suppliers, including STMicroelectronics, Renesas and Nexperia
Two materials, two jobs
SiC and GaN are not interchangeable, with the catalog splitting around 650 V. GaN clusters at or below that line, where fast switching and compact power conversion matter most, as in fast chargers, server supplies and 48 V automotive systems. SiC dominates above it, with about 1,630 parts in the 651–1200 V class, serving traction inverters, DC fast chargers, solar inverters and industrial drives.
“Wide-bandgap power technologies have moved beyond a specialized engineering conversation,” says Mike Carano of the Global Electronics Association. “They are now a business and supply-chain consideration for companies across the electronics ecosystem.”
What changes at the board level
The choice of material also shapes the printed circuit board. Both typically call for 6–8 layers, but for different reasons.
For SiC, that means heavier copper and embedded thermal structures to handle current. For GaN, it means low-loss laminates, short interconnects and precise etching to support fast switching. Where the two meet, as seen in AI data-center power that needs GaN-class switching with SiC-class current handling, boards combining heavy copper, HDI and controlled impedance become the interesting challenge.
Cost, coexistence and lifecycle
The market is also moving from a race for capacity to a race for cost. Infineon, Wolfspeed, onsemi and Bosch are ramping 200 mm SiC, Infineon has piloted 300 mm GaN, and newer entrants are competing on price. Silicon hasn’t gone away, it still serves cost-sensitive, lower-frequency designs.
Lifecycle is where the two materials look most different. About 71% of SiC parts are active, compared with 41% of GaN parts, and a third of GaN parts have transferred to new owners as foundries and suppliers consolidate. “Parts data provides a valuable signal of where technology adoption is heading,” says Greg Jaknunas of Accuris, “but the most important question for the industry is what those trends mean in practice.”
Questions worth asking early
For design, sourcing and fabrication teams, the practical takeaways are modest but useful: match the material to the socket, avoid single-sourcing critical power stages, and ask about foundry and packaging when a GaN part has only one source. Making those calls early is far easier than revisiting them after layout.
This blog only skims the data. The full report, SiC and GaN Power Devices Are Expanding — What the Parts Data (and the Fab Floor) Tell Us, goes further on supplier timelines, voltage classes, board requirements and lifecycle status. It is the first in a planned joint white paper series from the Global Electronics Association and Accuris, so more is on the way.