When we began using silicon as a semiconductor in the 1960s, the computing, connectivity, innovation and intelligence it enabled changed the world. But the electronic devices that we’ll develop in the future must be able to operate more efficiently than the ones before and that means we need to find new ways to power them.

Device manufacturers are already turning to wide bandgap power semiconductors, which can operate at higher voltages and frequencies, and to two compounds in particular – silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN). For many years, these new technologies have been regarded as the next big thing but they’re just beginning to disrupt the industry.