CONDUCTING A TECH SYMPHONY

Roll over silicon. Gallium Nitride is fast emerging as the go-to semiconductor compound in power-electronics and wireless communication. In India it's being made at AGNIT

- AJAY SUKUMARAN

AGNIT SEMICONDUCTORS, IISC, Bengaluru

Have you ever wondered how the size of your smartphone has grown bigger over the years but the fast charger that keeps it going is still a compact little device? Thank Gallium Nitride (GaN). It's a semiconductor compound more efficient than silicon when it comes to powering electronics that means anything to do with controlling and converting the flow of electricity into an electronic device, be it a phone, laptop or an electric vehicle. GaN operates at a higher frequency than silicon. There's also less wastage of energy: the old chargers used to run 5-10 watts; fast chargers nowadays use 30-60 watts in practically the same footprint, or even smaller. Now, a start-up, AGNIT Semiconductors, India's first private sector company in semiconductor manufacturing, is aiming for a slice of the market for GaN components.