Gallium Nitride delivers size, weight and CO2-reduction benefits to Dell users 

Navitas Semiconductor (Nasdaq: NVTS), the industry-leader in gallium nitride (GaN) power integrated circuits (ICs) announced that its GaNFast power ICs were selected by Dell to fast charge their premium Latitude 9000-series laptops.

GaN is a next-generation semiconductor technology that runs up to 20x faster than legacy silicon and enables up to 3x more power, 40% energy savings and 3x faster charging in half the size and weight. Navitas’ GaNFast™ power ICs integrate GaN power and drive plus protection and control to deliver simple, small, fast and efficient performance. With over 130 patents issued or pending, and significant trade secrets including a proprietary process design kit (PDK), Navitas believes it has a multi-year lead in next-generation GaN power ICs.

The new Dell 60W fast charger is an ‘in-box’ optional upgrade from a legacy silicon-based charger, shipping now. Measuring only 66 x 55 x 22 mm (94 cc) and a lightweight 175 g, the new GaNFast charger is 50% smaller and 25% lighter than the previous silicon-based generation.

GaN power ICs have 4x-10x lower CO2 footprint than legacy silicon chips, and Navitas estimates that the GaNFast power ICs allow Dell to reduce the total CO2 footprint (manufacturing, shipment and use) of their charger by almost 30%.

“Dell customers appreciate leading-edge technology with innovation, performance and quality,” said Gene Sheridan, CEO and co-founder of Navitas. “They also appreciate that GaNFast technology delivers significant benefits to the planet. In fact, every GaNFast power IC shipped reduces CO2 emissions by 4 kg.”

Two GaNFast power ICs are used in the Dell adapter (NV6115, NV6117) in a high-speed active-clamp flyback (ACF) topology, which enables the use of an advanced ‘planar’ transformer to achieve the slimline 22 mm thin profile of the charger. For additional technical details, please refer to the teardown report.