en.Wedoany.com Reported - Weidu News, April 7th - China's leading power electronics device and system integrator, Semikron Technology Group, announced an additional investment of $20 million (approximately RMB 1.36 billion) to settle its core capacity expansion project in the Zhejiang Jiashan Economic and Technological Development Zone. The project will involve constructing approximately 13,000 square meters of new factory buildings and plans to lease an additional 23,000 square meters of factory space, with a focus on metallized evaporative film, AI DC power distribution systems solid-state DC circuit breakers, andcontrolled nuclear fusion pulsed power supplies and other cutting-edge fields.
If establishing the metallized evaporative film project is "consolidating the foundation," then the new leased factory space focusing on AI DC power distribution system solid-state DC circuit breakers, semiconductor equipment pulsed power supplies, and controlled nuclear fusion pulsed power supplies represents a crucial step for Semikron Technology to "explore new frontiers."
I. Background on Focusing on the Core Track of Nuclear Fusion
Controlled nuclear fusion is hailed as the "ultimate solution" for human energy. Its principle involves mimicking the nuclear reaction process inside the sun, fusing light atomic nuclei into heavier ones and releasing immense energy. Compared to traditional nuclear fission, nuclear fusion boasts significant advantages such as abundant fuel, less radioactive waste, and higher safety. It is regarded as one of the key technological pathways to achieving the "dual carbon" goals.
However, the commercial application of controlled nuclear fusion faces numerous technical challenges, among which pulsedpower supply systems are one of the core critical equipment for fusion devices.
In the cost structure of the ITER tokamak device, the power supply system (including power supply and heating current drive) accounts for nearly 15% in total;
In linear fusion devices (such as Field-Reversed Configuration FRC, Z-pinch), as the cost of the magnet system is significantly reduced, the proportion of value contributed by the power supply system increases notably.
II. Capacity Expansion: Dual-Driven by Metallized Evaporative Film and AI DC Power Distribution Systems
1. Metallized Evaporative Film: Achieving Self-Production for Cost Reduction and Efficiency Improvement
In this capital increase project, metallizedevaporative film is one of the core products Semikron Technology is focusing on. Metallized evaporative film is a key raw material for flexible DC transmission capacitors, long reliant on imports, keeping costs high. Through this capacity expansion, Semikron Technology will achieve self-production and self-use of metallized evaporative film, significantly reducing the raw material cost for flexible DC capacitors and enhancing product competitiveness.
Metallized evaporative film technology has wide applications in the power electronics field, especially in new energy power generation, smart grids, and rail transit. With the accelerated global energy transition, the demand for high-performance film capacitors continues to grow, presenting a broad market prospect for metallized evaporative film.
2. AI DC Power Distribution System Solid-State DC Circuit Breakers: Seizing the Data Center Power Supply Upgrade Track
AI DCpower distribution systemsolid-state DCcircuit breakers are another key focus area for Semikron Technology in this capital increase project. With the explosive growth of the artificial intelligence industry, data center energy consumption issues are becoming increasingly prominent. Traditional data center power supply systems suffer from low efficiency, slow response, and large footprint, urgently requiring technological upgrades.
Solid-state DCcircuit breakersare a type of solid-state switch , and are critical equipment for cutting-edge industries such as data centers, electric ships, and nuclear fusion devices. Semikron Technology possesses internationally leading solid-state switch technology and rich industry experience: In the shipbuilding field, the company is an important partner of Siemens; in the data center power supply field, the company has accumulated deep technical reserves and completed verification by top global clients.
III. Semikron Technology's Nuclear Fusion Product Portfolio
Semikron Technology has been deeply engaged in power semiconductor devices and cutting-edge power electronics technology for over 20 years, with business covering ultra-high voltage DC transmission, new energy, and high-energy physics research, among other fields. The company has formed a complete product portfolio in the nuclear fusion field, including four core products: pulsedpower switches, pulsedcapacitors , solid-state DCcircuit breakers , and reactive power compensation devices .
1. Pulsedpower switches serve as critical equipment for nuclear fusion research, capable of meeting the special needs of nuclear fusion devices for high-power instantaneous electrical energy. This product originates from Semikron Technology's Swiss subsidiary, Astrol AG. For over a decade, Astrol AG has been a trusted partner in the nuclear fusion industry, designing and manufacturing customized power electronics equipment for various reactor concepts.
Currently, this product series has been successfully applied in:
Tri Alpha Energy nuclear fusion test equipment in the USA (2017 project)
Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, Germany
European Spallation Source - Lund, Sweden (ESS)
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron - Hamburg (DESY)
Another US client's controlled nuclear fusion project (2022)
Recently secured a third order from a US nuclear fusion company
To date, Astrol AG has cumulatively provided pulsed power switch product solutions for over 80 projects, including several controlled nuclear fusion and high-energy particle research projects, demonstrating Semikron Technology's technical strength in international cutting-edge scientific research projects.
2. Pulsedcapacitors play the core role of energy storage and release in controlled nuclear fusion systems, characterized by safety, controllability, and high efficiency. Semikron Technology's pulsed capacitors can achieve a working voltage of up to 30kVDC and a capacitance of 20μF, meeting the stringent requirements of nuclear fusion devices for energy storage and release. The product has reached internationally advanced levels.
3. Solid-state DCcircuit breakers are the "safety barrier" for nuclear fusion power supply systems. Leveraging fully self-developed technology, Semikron Technology has created leading solid-state circuit breakers that integrate ultra-fast, arc-less breaking capability with compact modular design.
This technology boasts industry-leading performance metrics:
Dedicated circuit breaker topology and design
Twice the maximum breaking current of comparable products
One-fourth the volume and weight of comparable products
Ten times the protection speed of comparable products
No need for additional inductor or fuse installation
4. Reactive power compensation devices include products such as SVC (Static Var Compensator) and SVG (Static Var Generator). They can provide dynamic reactive power support for nuclear power plant power systems, improve power factor, stabilize system voltage, and ensure safe and stable grid operation. These have been validated in multiple important power projects.
IV. Why Choose Jiashan: Core Advantages Highlighted
Industrial Scale of a Trillion-Yuan Park: Jiashan Economic and Technological Development Zone, as one of Zhejiang Province's first batch of provincial-level economic development zones, achieved an industrial output value of 101.5 billion yuan from above-scale enterprises in 2025, successfully entering the "trillion-yuan park" tier and becoming a significant high-level manufacturing platform in the Yangtze River Delta region.
"Partnership-style" Service Wins Enterprise Trust: Semikron Technology Group's decision to increase investment in Jiashan is closely tied to the favorable business environment accumulated through years of deep cultivation in the area. As early as 2019, Semikron Technology had established an IGBT power semiconductor project in Jiashan Economic Development Zone, planning to build internationally advanced fully automated intelligent production lines and a technology center. In 2024, the Semikron Asia-Pacific Jiashan project initiated the construction of a new project for annual production of IGBT power devices. "The 'partnership-style' service philosophy of Jiashan Economic Development Zone deeply impressed us. From project signing to implementation and production, the management committee provided professional and precise service support throughout, allowing us to focus on technology R&D and market expansion," said the project manager of Semikron Technology Group at the signing ceremony.
Location Advantage and Factor Guarantees: Jiashan is located in the core area of the Yangtze River Delta Eco-Green Integrated Development Demonstration Zone, only a 30-minute drive from Shanghai Hongqiao Hub, enjoying a unique geographical advantage.
In recent years, global controlled nuclear fusion R&D has accelerated significantly. Several private fusion companies have made important progress. American companies like Commonwealth Fusion Systems, Helion Energy, and TAE Technologies have secured massive funding to accelerate commercialization. China's fusion experimental devices like EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) and HL-3 (Huanliu-3) continue to set new operational records, accumulating experience for future commercial applications.
Facing the broad prospects of the nuclear fusion industry, Semikron Technology has formulated a clear technology roadmap. The company will continue to increase R&D investment, enhance the performance metrics of core products such as pulsed power switches, pulsed capacitors, and solid-state DC circuit breakers to meet the higher requirements of next-generation nuclear fusion devices.
With the implementation of Semikron Technology's capital increase project, Jiashan Economic Development Zone's layout in the new energy and new materials industries will become more complete, and the industrial cluster effect will be further highlighted. This will not only help elevate Jiashan's position in the national and even global power electronics industry but also inject new momentum into the high-quality integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta.
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