Power Integrations to acquire Odyssey assets
Transaction supports continuing development of high-voltage, high-power GaN technology
Power Integrations has announced an agreement to acquire the assets of Odyssey Semiconductor Technologies, a developer of vertical GaN transistor technology. The transaction is expected to close in July 2024, after which all key Odyssey employees are expected to join Power Integrations.
The acquisition supports the company’s ongoing development roadmap for its proprietary PowiGaN technology, which is featured in many of the company’s product families including InnoSwitch ICs, HiperPFS-5 power-factor-correction ICs and the recently launched InnoMux-2 family of single-stage, multiple-output ICs. The company introduced 900- and 1250-volt versions of PowiGaN technology and products in 2023.
According to Radu Barsan, Power Integrations’ vice president of technology, PI's roadmap is to achieve cost parity with silicon MOSFETs and expand the voltage and power capabilities of PowiGaN. He said: "Our goal is to commercialise a cost-effective high-current and high-voltage GaN technology to support higher-power applications currently served by SiC, at a much lower cost and higher performance enabled by the fundamental material advantages of GaN over SiC. The experience of the Odyssey team in high-current vertical GaN will augment and accelerate these efforts, and we are delighted to add them to our team.”
Richard Brown, Odyssey co-founder and CEO said: “The Odyssey team and I are excited to join Power Integrations in accelerating their GaN technology roadmap. As the first company to commercialise high-voltage GaN, Power Integrations continues to lead the industry in driving the technology forward in terms of cost, voltage and current, as well as the design of system-level products that take full advantage of the capabilities of GaN.”
