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Can AGNIT’s GaN Wafers Become India’s Edge In The Global Chip Market?
- Semiconductor manufacturing capabilities in India may lag behind, but GaN technology is a top priority for R&D to position the country as a global hub and lead innovation in the automotive and mobility sectors.
- AGNIT Semiconductors, India’s first start-up focused on developing GaN-based wafers, is building wafers on silicon carbide, primarily catering to RF applications and not the power electronics market.
- AGNIT is currently focussed on two aspects of its semiconductor and electronics manufacturing ecosystem - developing and selling its GaN wafers to semiconductor fabs and selling the discrete RF power transistors built on the wafers.
- AGNIT is leveraging its technological know-how and existing capabilities to build 4-inch wafers on silicon carbide, which is more expensive than building larger GaN wafers on silicon.
- The start-up aims to foray into the power electronics market gradually after establishing itself in its primary focus market.
- AGNIT forges ahead with the focus on a superior platform on which to grow gallium nitride material of superior quality, while keeping an eye on a global market which includes competing with other start-ups on GaN in India, fabless design firms.
- Although GaN-based semiconductors have been in use since the 1990s, primarily in LEDs, this advancement in larger wafer technology could bring increased capability and cost efficiency to the industry.
- AGNIT is set to capture a growing market for gallium nitride semiconductor devices expected to cross $2Bn by 2030, particularly focusing on applications in defence and strategic sectors such as radar and electronic warfare.
- GEECI’s support enabled AGNIT to avoid building its own foundry, however, the limitations mean that building 12-inch wafers needs to be figured out.
- AGNIT’s founders are also looking to enable Indian semiconductor designers and fabless startups, which are currently dependent on companies outside of the country, by giving them the option to work through AGNIT and become self-sufficient.
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