You have founded two successful startup - Navitas and Empower Semiconductor. What has driven you to do so?
My entire career and personal life have revolved around identifying market opportunities and addressing underserved needs. The most significant challenge I’ve encountered is the electrification of our planet, which ties into sustainability, fossil fuel reduction, and climate change. The goal is to make electricity so compelling that we transition from gas-powered cars to electric ones, and from gas heating to electric heat pumps. For 30 years, we relied on silicon to manufacture power chips. Over the last decade, however, we’ve developed compound semiconductors—gallium nitride and silicon carbide—that are far more energy-efficient and reliable than traditional silicon.
Navitas is at the forefront of this shift, pushing these technologies to the market. Empower Semiconductor complements Navitas by addressing the increasing power demands of AI processors. While Navitas focuses on making grid electricity more efficient, Empower ensures that power is efficiently delivered to processors, which are increasingly energy-hungry.
Gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide are emerging technologies. Can you explain, in simple terms, what GaN is and its broader impact?
Gallium nitride (GaN) has been a long journey—almost 25 years in development since our first program at International Rectifier. While it took time to overcome manufacturing and reliability challenges, the payoff has been immense. In simple terms, gallium nitride allows us to charge your phone, tablet, or laptop up to three times faster than traditional silicon chargers, and in a smaller, more portable size. Imagine a charger that fits in your pocket and charges your device three times faster—that's what GaN makes possible.
The technology has exploded in the last five years, driving our IPO and raising $300 million, which has allowed us to expand GaN applications even further. Beyond personal electronics, we’re now applying it to larger infrastructure, like data centers and electric vehicles. We also acquired silicon carbide technology, which helps us tackle high-voltage, high-power applications.
Can you highlight some real-world applications of GaN that people might be using today?
Mobile chargers are the first and most accessible application. We started with aftermarket players like Anker, Belkin, and even Amazon’s own chargers, but now we have partnered with major mobile companies—Apple, Xiaomi, Oppo, Samsung, Dell, Lenovo. In fact, ten of the top ten smartphone, laptop, and tablet manufacturers use our gallium nitride technology for their fast chargers. There are now over 250 GaN chargers in production, and they have quickly become a staple. Beyond consumer electronics, we’re expanding into less visible but equally important applications. For example, data centers and electric cars will soon be powered by GaN, as well as solar panels, which will become more energy-efficient and reliable thanks to this technology. While mobile charging has been our entry point, the future of GaN extends into industrial and large-scale applications that will help power the infrastructure of tomorrow.
With the validation of your initial research and the successful IPO, are you now able to take bigger risks in less obvious industries?
Absolutely. Silicon carbide, for example, addresses high-voltage, high-power infrastructure—think solar farms that power cities, wind energy, or even the electrical grid, which needs significant upgrades. Silicon carbide can enhance energy efficiency and long-term reliability, ultimately making these large systems more cost-effective. One of the most exciting opportunities lies in electric vehicles (EVs). Many high-performance EVs, including those from Tesla, are already using silicon carbide technology. EVs need fast, reliable power, and both gallium nitride and silicon carbide play crucial roles in enhancing EV charging speeds and extending driving ranges. These technologies are integral to making electric cars more appealing to consumers and ensuring that EVs reach their full potential.
What are the biggest challenges or risks that could disrupt Navitas' plans?
Our biggest challenge right now is where to focus. In just the last two years, we’ve built a $1.6 billion customer opportunity pipeline, which is a huge undertaking for a company currently doing $20 million a quarter. While it's a great problem to have, we must be careful not to spread ourselves too thin. We've already made significant strides with GaN in mobile chargers, but the opportunities keep expanding—data centers, electric vehicles, industrial factories, and more. The power requirements for AI are skyrocketing, which presents both a challenge and an opportunity for our gallium nitride and silicon carbide technologies. Meanwhile, electrifying cars is progressing a bit slower but remains an essential part of our long-term strategy. With so many opportunities, the key is deciding where to concentrate our efforts today to make the most significant impact tomorrow.
With such a large pipeline and some long-term bets, what do you see happening in the next three to five years?
In the next three to five years, we’ll see significant growth in several key markets. Mobile chargers are already driving short-term revenue, but AI data centers are ramping up and will be critical around 2025-2026. Electric vehicles, while slower to adopt, will become a major driver in 2026-2028 as fast-charging and driving range improvements make them more appealing to consumers. We estimate that fully electrifying the planet could generate a trillion-dollar market for gallium nitride and silicon carbide, so there’s plenty of room for growth. We’re also focused on profitability, with a clear path to achieving it in the next 18 months. Our strategy is to layer in these opportunities over time, ensuring that each market contributes to the growth and sustainability of Navitas.
For those outside the industry, is gallium nitride still an emerging technology or is it becoming the norm?
Gallium nitride is no longer a secret. All of our competitors, most of which are traditional silicon companies, are now working on GaN and silicon carbide as well. The challenge is that it’s difficult to manufacture and design with these materials. We've been developing this technology for nearly 25 years, with four generations of GaN under our belt, and we’re already working on our fifth generation.
Many competitors are still on their first or second generation, which gives us a significant lead. In particular, we’ve pioneered how to integrate additional circuits into the power transistor, improving performance, reliability, and cost. But we need to stay ahead by continuously innovating and bringing new generations to market every 12 to 18 months.
What are the next milestones for Navitas, and is there an exit strategy in place?
Our immediate priority is to continue scaling and entering new markets. We’ve laid out a clear path, starting with mobile charging, and expanding into AI data centers, electric vehicles, solar, and wind. We believe that as the world moves toward full electrification, the demand for gallium nitride and silicon carbide will grow into a trillion-dollar market. Profitability is also a key milestone, and we have a solid plan to achieve it within the next 18 months. This will allow us to remain resilient and independent, ensuring we can continue driving forward our long-term vision of electrifying the planet.
