Enphase, Infineon Develop 900 V GaN Bidirectional Switches

Enphase Energy and Infineon Technologies have announced the deployment of 900 V gallium nitride (GaN) monolithic bidirectional switch (BDS) devices in Enphase solid-state transformer (SST) power modules. The devices extend GaN switching technology to a higher voltage rating while retaining the high-frequency operation needed for compact and efficient power conversion. The companies are targeting AI data center power infrastructure, where efficiency, power density and system availability are critical.

Enphase has led the system-level development, drawing on more than a decade of in-house GaN power-conversion research, while Infineon contributes device technology and engineering expertise through its CoolGaN portfolio. Enphase has previously introduced 650 V GaN bidirectional switches into volume-production power electronics, and GaN HEMT technology is already used in its IQ9 microinverters.

The 900 V devices provide additional design flexibility while remaining below the 1 kV component-rating threshold. This lets designers explore high-performance conversion architectures traditionally associated with silicon carbide (SiC) while leveraging GaN’s fast switching and low switching losses.

In SST systems, higher-voltage bidirectional switches can reduce the number of inverter stages connected in series to handle medium-voltage inputs. Fewer power-conversion building blocks can reduce component count, switching losses, and the total number of switches required. High-frequency operation also enables smaller transformers and other magnetic components, potentially reducing system size, weight, and cost.

The technology supports Enphase’s IQ Solid-State Transformer (IQ SST) platform for AI data centers, where power delivery must scale to high rack and facility power levels. On the DC side, higher-voltage unidirectional switch devices can support an 800 V unipolar bus instead of split ±400 V rails. They may also enable future 1,500 VDC architectures using split ±750 V generation, with fewer switches and lower bridge losses.

The 900 V GaN devices could also benefit commercial solar inverters. Their capabilities are intended to support three-phase, line-to-line designs for 480 V applications in the United States and 400 V applications in other markets, potentially reducing switch count, conversion losses, and system cost.

The devices have completed initial testing and are being integrated into IQ SST development builds. Production qualification is expected to follow, so further validation is needed before the technology reaches qualified production status.

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