en.Wedoany.com Reported - Mitsubishi Chemical and Japan Steel Works (JSW) plan to expand gallium nitride (GaN) production capacity by 50% to meet strong demand from electric vehicles, inverters, and data center power supplies. The expansion plan was disclosed by Nikkei on July 7.

The two companies have long collaborated on the development of self-supporting gallium nitride substrates for power semiconductors, with Mitsubishi Chemical responsible for seed crystal and material process development, and JSW handling substrate manufacturing at its Muroran Plant. In April this year, the two parties increased substrate and seed crystal production capacity to twice that of fiscal 2021. Under the latest plan, capacity will be further expanded to three times the fiscal 2021 level by April 2027, representing a 50% increase from 2026.

Compared to traditional silicon materials, GaN can withstand higher voltages; compared to silicon carbide (SiC), GaN offers characteristics such as high-speed current control and reduced power loss. Currently, the 4-inch GaN substrates produced by both companies are still in the customer verification stage. To align with the industry trend toward larger wafer sizes, the companies have established a clear roadmap, planning to begin offering 6-inch substrate samples in fiscal 2026 and 8-inch substrate samples in fiscal 2028.