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C h a p t e r 1 | B e n e f i t s o f G a N Te c h n o l o g y as compared to Si. These characteristics directly result in higher efficiency and less heat generation during conduction, which, in turn, provide added benefits such as decreased thermal management. For instance, the reduced losses in power converters translate to lower energy consumption and cooling requirements—a significant advantage for data centers and other energy-intensive environments. Thermal management is another area where GaN outperforms Si. The wide bandgap of GaN leads to lower intrinsic carrier concentrations, translating to lower leakage currents, even at elevated temperatures. Ultimately, GaN confers better thermal stability and reliability under high-temperature operating conditions. Additionally, compared to Si, GaN has a higher thermal conductivity, which helps efficiently dissipate heat generated during operation, thereby enhancing the performance and longevity of GaN devices. In the context of global sustainability goals, the advantages of GaN are significant. GaN devices help create more efficient, performant, and power- dense power solutions for data centers, industrial equipment, and automotive applications by enabling more efficient power conversion and reducing energy waste. For example, GaN's high switching frequencies and efficiency benefit industrial power supplies and motor drives. These attributes lead to smaller, lighter, and more efficient components. At the same time, GaN's ability to handle high power levels in compact packages enables high-power performance in space-constrained applications like EVs. GaN is also particularly advantageous in high-growth applications operating below GaN technology will increase the efficiency of power electronics for low-power (<20kW) industrial and automation applications. That's quite an important fact, considering the many servo-drives applications that fall in that category." Giuseppe Attilo Laudani Senior Power Electronics Engineer, Sprint Electric 8 10 Experts Discuss Gallium Nitride Technology