Weekly Tech Roundup – 4 October 2026 - Ani-Lab- Your best partner in electronics design tutorials and component update

The final week of September and beginning of October 2026 brought several important developments in power electronics, wide-bandgap semiconductors, AI data-center power architecture, automotive protection devices and miniature energy storage.

A particularly strong theme this week was the continuing movement toward 800 VDC and higher-voltage power architectures for AI data centers. Renesas introduced a 650 V GaN FET in a dual-side-cooled 8 × 8 mm package, while Infineon and Eaton announced collaboration on SiC-based medium-voltage solid-state transformers. At the device level, Vishay introduced new 650 V superjunction MOSFET power modules, while Diodes Incorporated announced automotive Super Barrier Rectifiers with improved forward-voltage, leakage and avalanche characteristics.

Another notable development was Navitas' selection for a U.S. government program targeting 10 kV SiC IGBT technology, pushing SiC power semiconductor development into an even higher voltage range.

1. Renesas Introduces 650 V GaN FET in Dual-Side-Cooled 8 × 8 mm Package

Company: Renesas Electronics
Announcement: 30 September 2026
Part number: TP65H020G4PLSGBD

One of the most significant semiconductor launches this week came from Renesas with its new 650 V GaN device designed specifically for high-density power conversion in emerging 800 V high-voltage DC AI data-center architectures.

The TP65H020G4PLSGBD is a 650 V, 20 mΩ GaN FET based on Renesas' Gen IV Plus GaN technology. The device is packaged in an 8 × 8 mm dual-side-cooled PQFN package, allowing heat to be removed from both sides of the device. Renesas says the package footprint is approximately 57% smaller than its existing 10 × 15 mm TOLT package.

The electrical specifications are particularly interesting for high-frequency power conversion:

Drain-source voltage: 650 V
Typical RDS(on): 20 mΩ
Maximum RDS(on): 25 mΩ
Maximum drain current at 25°C: 92 A
Typical gate charge: 19.6 nC
Typical QOSS: 221 nC
Typical COSS: 196 pF
Operating temperature: −55°C to +150°C
Package: 8 × 8 mm dual-side-cooled PQFN

The device is a normally-off switch combining a high-voltage depletion-mode GaN HEMT with a low-voltage silicon MOSFET. This arrangement allows it to be driven using commonly used silicon gate-driver technology rather than requiring a specialized negative gate-drive arrangement.

Why dual-side cooling matters

At high switching frequencies and high current density, the semiconductor package becomes an important part of the thermal design. Traditional surface-mounted power devices generally remove most of their heat through the PCB or top-side heatsinking arrangement. Renesas' dual-side-cooled structure provides an additional thermal path.

This becomes particularly important as AI server power systems move from tens or hundreds of kilowatts toward megawatt-scale rack architectures.

Renesas reports that its new package reduces top-side thermal impedance by about 10% while allowing significantly more compact PCB placement.

Target applications

The TP65H020G4PLSGBD is aimed at 800 V AI data-center power systems, 800 V-to-48 V intermediate bus converters, 800 V-to-12 V converters, Battery backup units, Capacitor backup units, Telecom power supplies, Solar inverters, UPS systems, EV charging and Battery energy-storage systems.

Renesas has already demonstrated a 6 kW, 800 V-to-48 V LLC DC transformer using the device and an RA6T3 MCU. The company reports a power density of 2.6 kW/in³ in that reference design.

Engineer's perspective

For power-electronics designers, the important point is not simply the 650 V rating. The combination of low QOSS, low QG, low RDS(on), dual-side cooling and an 8 × 8 mm footprint makes this type of device particularly interesting for high-frequency LLC, phase-shifted, resonant and intermediate-bus converter designs.

The industry is moving toward a situation where semiconductor switching losses are only one part of the optimization problem. Package parasitics, thermal impedance, PCB area and current-loop geometry are becoming equally important.

2. Vishay Launches Four 650 V Superjunction MOSFET Power Modules

Company: Vishay Intertechnology
Announcement: 1 October 2026
Package: SOT-227
New devices: VS-FC50SA65, VS-FC100SA65, VS-FC150SA65 and VS-FC50LA65

Vishay introduced four new power modules using 650 V superjunction MOSFET technology in the established SOT-227 package.

The devices are intended for industrial power-conversion applications where designers want improved switching and conduction performance without having to redesign an existing PCB or mechanical mounting arrangement.

The lineup includes:

Device	Configuration	Nominal current
VS-FC50SA65	Single switch	50 A
VS-FC100SA65	Single switch	100 A
VS-FC150SA65	Single switch	150 A
VS-FC50LA65	Low-side chopper	50 A

The VS-FC50LA65 also incorporates a 650 V SiC diode in the low-side chopper configuration.

The devices are designed around an optimized balance between RDS(on) and gate charge, an important consideration when moving toward higher switching frequencies.

Why the SOT-227 package is still useful

Although power semiconductor packaging is rapidly moving toward very compact surface-mount packages, large industrial converters continue to use mechanically robust module packages.

The SOT-227 format provides High-current capability, Electrical isolation, Mechanical robustness, Convenient heatsink mounting, Familiar PCB/mechanical footprint and Easy replacement of existing power modules. This makes the new devices interesting for industrial power supplies, motor drives, welding equipment, UPS systems and other high-power conversion equipment.

Engineer's perspective

The interesting aspect is the combination of a 650 V superjunction MOSFET with a familiar high-power package.

For a designer upgrading an older converter, changing from an older MOSFET module to a newer superjunction device can potentially improve efficiency without forcing a complete mechanical redesign.

However, the designer still needs to examine gate-drive current, switching-node ringing, turn-off voltage overshoot, diode reverse recovery and EMI rather than selecting the replacement solely from its voltage and current ratings.

3. Diodes Introduces Automotive Field-Plated Super Barrier Rectifiers

Company: Diodes Incorporated
Announcement: 28 September 2026

Diodes Incorporated announced a new family of automotive-qualified field-plated Super Barrier Rectifiers (SBRFP).

The new devices are designed as drop-in alternatives to comparable Schottky and PN-junction rectifiers while improving forward voltage, leakage current and avalanche capability.

The announced devices include:

SBRFP2M60P1Q – 2 A
SBRFP2M60SAFQ – 2 A
SBRFP3M60SAFQ – 3 A
SBRFP8A60P5Q – 8 A

The SBRFP8A60P5Q has a maximum forward voltage of 0.55 V at 8 A, while some of the lower-current devices provide very low reverse leakage. For example, the SBRFP2M60P1Q is specified for maximum leakage of 12 µA, while the SBRFP3M60SAFQ is specified at 7 µA, under the stated conditions.

The devices also provide significantly higher avalanche capability than conventional Schottky rectifiers, with avalanche-energy ratings reaching 145 mJ, depending on the device.

Where these rectifiers can be used

Diodes identifies applications including Automotive DC-DC converters, Reverse-polarity protection, Battery charging systems, Automotive LED lighting, Transmission control systems and Automotive power management. The devices support junction temperatures from −55°C to +175°C.

Why low leakage matters

In automotive systems, a low forward voltage is not the only important parameter. A conventional Schottky diode can have relatively high reverse leakage, especially as temperature rises. In applications where the diode remains exposed to high temperatures for long periods, leakage can contribute to unnecessary losses. Therefore, a rectifier offering a combination of:

low VF + low IR + high avalanche capability can be attractive in automotive power circuits.

Engineer's perspective

For engineers working on battery-powered electronics, one important lesson is that reverse leakage becomes increasingly important as operating voltage and temperature increase.

A diode that looks excellent at room temperature may have significantly different leakage behaviour at 125°C or 150°C.

Therefore, when selecting rectifiers for automotive or EV applications, the datasheet should be evaluated across the complete temperature range rather than using only the 25°C specifications.

4. Infineon and Eaton Collaborate on SiC-Based Solid-State Transformers for 800 VDC AI Data Centers

Companies: Infineon Technologies and Eaton
Announcement: 29 September 2026

AI data-center power architecture continued to be a major theme this week as Infineon and Eaton announced a collaboration involving silicon-carbide power devices for Eaton's medium-voltage solid-state transformer platform.

The technology is intended to support emerging 800 VDC power-distribution architectures for AI data centers. Eaton's MVSST 2.0 platform is intended to reduce the number of conversion stages between the electrical grid and high-density computing loads. The collaboration is particularly interesting because it connects two trends Higher-voltage DC distribution inside data centers and SiC-based high-voltage conversion.

As AI accelerator racks move toward extremely high power levels, distributing power at higher voltage reduces current for a given power level.

For example:

At the same power:

400 V → higher current
800 V → approximately half the current
1600 V → approximately one-quarter the current

Lower current can reduce conductor losses and make large-scale power distribution more manageable.

Future voltage levels

Infineon and Eaton also indicated that they will explore future solid-state transformer platforms using 2.3 kV and 3.3 kV SiC power modules.

That is significant because it moves the semiconductor requirement beyond the conventional 650 V/1200 V class commonly encountered in many power converters.

Engineer's perspective

The solid-state transformer is becoming increasingly relevant because it can combine Voltage conversion, Galvanic isolation, Power-factor management, Bidirectional power flow, Fast control, Protection and Digital monitoring.

Instead of treating the transformer as a passive 50/60 Hz component, an SST can become an active power-processing stage.

This is particularly attractive for future data centers, renewable-energy systems, EV charging infrastructure and microgrids.

5. Navitas Selected for U.S. Government 10 kV SiC IGBT Development Program

Company: Navitas Semiconductor
Announcement: 28 September 2026
Program: ALATTIS

Navitas announced that it had been selected for the U.S. government's ALATTIS — Accelerated, Large-Area, 10 kV SiC IGBT — program.

The program is sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory and is intended to develop and validate manufacturing technology for 10 kV-class SiC power semiconductor devices.

The proposed technology goes beyond Navitas' existing SiC MOSFET portfolio and focuses on 10 kV SiC IGBTs, Associated PiN diode technology, Large-area device manufacturing, Ultra-high-voltage power conversion and High-reliability applications.

Navitas states that its existing GeneSiC portfolio spans devices from 650 V through 6.5 kV and that the company has prior experience in ultra-high-voltage SiC devices.

Why 10 kV is important

At very high voltage, switching semiconductor selection becomes fundamentally different from conventional low- and medium-voltage converter design.

A 10 kV device can potentially reduce the number of series-connected semiconductor devices required in high-voltage conversion systems. This has implications for Grid infrastructure, Medium-voltage drives, Solid-state transformers, Renewable-energy conversion, HVDC systems, Defense power systems and High-power industrial equipment. Reducing the number of series-connected devices can simplify gate-drive isolation, voltage balancing and protection. However, the challenges increase dramatically as voltage rises. Designers must deal with Electric-field management, Dynamic voltage sharing, Insulation coordination, dv/dt, Partial discharge, Package isolation, Gate-drive isolation, Short-circuit protection and Thermal management.

Engineer's perspective

The move toward 10 kV SiC shows that wide-bandgap technology is no longer limited to replacing silicon MOSFETs in conventional converters.

The next phase is likely to involve wide-bandgap semiconductors becoming fundamental building blocks for medium-voltage power conversion architectures.

6. ITEN Introduces 1,500 µAh Surface-Mount Solid-State Battery

Company: ITEN
Announcement: 29 September 2026
Product family: Powency™

ITEN announced two related milestones this week: production of its one-millionth solid-state battery and expansion of its Powency product family with a new 1,500 µAh surface-mount solid-state battery. The new 1,500 µAh device provides approximately six times the energy of ITEN's previous 250 µAh Powency device. It is designed to be integrated directly into electronic assemblies in a surface-mount form factor. Target applications include IoT sensors, Asset tracking, Energy-harvesting systems, Wearables, Healthcare electronics, Smart labels, BLE devices, UWB systems and LoRa-based systems.

The device is already available for sampling, with volume production planned for the end of 2026.

Why a surface-mount battery is interesting

Traditionally, even very small electronic systems often require a physically separate battery.

A surface-mount energy-storage device changes the design philosophy.Instead of PCB + battery holder + battery, the architecture can become PCB + energy-storage component. This can be particularly useful in highly miniaturized sensor systems. ITEN says its technology uses ceramic-based solid-state construction without a liquid electrolyte. The company's manufacturing facility has an installed capacity of more than 30 million devices per year.

Energy harvesting application

One particularly interesting application is energy harvesting. Consider a wireless sensor powered from a tiny solar cell or another energy-harvesting source. The harvested power may be enough for normal operation but insufficient during a wireless transmission burst. A small rechargeable solid-state battery can therefore act as a power buffer, Energy harvester → charging circuit → solid-state battery → sensor + wireless transmitter.

This architecture allows the system to accumulate energy slowly and release it rapidly when the radio or processor requires a power burst.

7. TerraFlow and DG Matrix Combine Flow Battery and Solid-State Transformer for AI Compute

Companies: TerraFlow Energy and DG Matrix
Announcement: 28 September 2026

Another interesting system-level development this week was the announcement of a commercial agreement between TerraFlow Energy and DG Matrix to deploy an integrated vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) and solid-state transformer architecture for live high-performance computing. The initial deployment is planned to combine TerraFlow's LDUPS long-duration uninterruptible power system, DG Matrix's Interport solid-state transformer and Dell PowerEdge servers. The objective is to control power between Grid ↔ Energy Storage ↔ Solid-State Transformer ↔ Compute Load, rather than treating the data center as a passive electrical load.

Why this architecture matters

AI workloads can create rapidly changing electrical demand. A conventional power system is designed primarily around supplying the required average and peak power. The new architecture attempts to add another layer active load buffering.

The storage system can absorb changes in power demand while the solid-state transformer dynamically controls the power flow. This could potentially reduce the electrical disturbances presented upstream to the grid. The companies describe the system as combining millisecond-scale UPS response with longer-duration energy storage and programmable solid-state power conversion.

Engineer's perspective

This is an important change in the way data-center power systems are being considered.

Instead of designing only for "How much power does the data center consume?"

the future question may increasingly become "How controllable is the data center's electrical load?"

That distinction becomes important when thousands of high-power AI accelerators operate simultaneously and change their workload rapidly.