China’s GaN pioneer Innoscience, founded by Nasa scientist, secures Google AI hardware deal
Innoscience claims to be the world’s first to achieve mass production of eight-inch silicon-based GaN wafers
Innoscience, China’s pioneer in gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors, said it completed design-ins for Google’s AI hardware platforms, signalling continued tech collaboration between Chinese and US companies despite broader geopolitical tensions.
The collaboration demonstrated “the company’s leading position in terms of technological advancement, product performance and quality,” Suzhou-based Innoscience said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that it would focus on “fields with high growth potential” including AI servers and data centres.
The firm’s Hong Kong-listed shares rose more than 11 per cent at the open on Wednesday, before closing at HK$55.15, up 2.5 per cent on the day.
Last August, Innoscience announced a deal with Nvidia for the deployment of an 800-volt direct current power architecture for the US giant’s AI data centres. Nvidia’s new electricity architecture is designed to support a 100 to 1,000-fold increase in AI computing power.
Founded in 2015 by scientist Luo Weiwei, Innoscience focuses on GaN, a material regarded as a cornerstone of so-called third-generation semiconductor technology.
Compared with traditional silicon, GaN devices can operate at higher voltages, temperatures and switching frequencies while delivering lower energy losses and smaller size. Other key materials in the same category include silicon carbide.