GE Aerospace and Wolfspeed collaborate to accelerate high-voltage silicon carbide (SiC) adoption

GE Aerospace and Wolfspeed Inc. today announced that they have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on accelerating the adoption of high-voltage silicon carbide across the industrial, aerospace and defence markets.

Under the MOU, the companies plan to develop standards for high-voltage silicon carbide-based power modules to support solid-state transformers, industrial electrification, and next-generation aerospace & defence (A&D) platforms while strengthening supply chain resilience. These higher-voltage power modules will enable systems with fewer series-connected devices and less complexity, enabling solutions that are more compact, efficient and reliable.

"Separately, our two companies have contributed to several industry-first technologies," said Kris Shepherd, president of Electrical Power for GE Aerospace. "Together, we're ready to shape a robust value chain of high-power silicon carbide based on a mutual appreciation for achieving smaller, reliable and more efficient high-voltage end systems."

"As AI, electrification, and defence platforms push power demands higher and timelines shorter, GE Aerospace and Wolfspeed are uniquely positioned to deliver the high-voltage silicon carbide building blocks the market needs," said Robert Feurle, CEO at Wolfspeed. "By securing domestic sourcing of high-power silicon carbide modules, the two companies are jointly committed to enabling systems that improve efficiency and lower time-to-power. High-voltage silicon carbide is finally production-ready exactly as the market confronts a power-delivery crunch legacy silicon cannot solve."

Leveraging silicon carbide, GE Aerospace recently qualified high-voltage power units for U.S. military ground vehicles, marking them production ready. The team also successfully demonstrated their fourth generation of silicon carbide power MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor-field-effect transistors) devices at the company's Research Center in Niskayuna, N.Y. that will improve switching speed, efficiency, and durability.

Wolfspeed leads the industry in high-volume 200 mm silicon carbide manufacturing and recently introduced the world's first commercially available 10 kV SiC MOSFET — honoured as a PCIM Top Innovation — giving the industrial, AI, and aerospace & defence markets a production-ready path to high-voltage power.