Military gear needs tough electronic parts that can handle huge amounts of electrical power without burning out. To make sure these chips are built inside the country, the U.S. Army picked Navitas Semiconductor to lead a new prototype project called ALATTIS.
Right now, the United States cannot make high-voltage, 10-kilovolt (10 kV) silicon carbide power switches at scale. The Army Research Laboratory and defense technology groups want to change that. Under this project, Navitas will design, build, and test a brand-new factory process on American soil to make 10 kV chips and matching diodes.
These super-tough chips will power military systems, heavy defense machines, and power grids. Old silicon chips struggle under extreme heat and heavy electric loads, but silicon carbide handles the stress easily.
The Army chose Navitas after testing top chip companies. The company won because of its local factories and over 20 years of work on high-voltage tech. Navitas launched heavy-duty switches in 2010, high-power diodes in 2012, and 6.5 kV power chips in 2021. For this project, it will use its special patented design to push chip power up to the 10 kV mark.
“The ALATTIS award marks a significant milestone in advancing ultra-high-voltage silicon carbide power devices,” said Siddarth Sundaresan, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Navitas. He added that the program lets Navitas build next-generation 10 kV chips using its unique chip layout and diode tech.
Building these parts at home ensures the military has a steady, safe supply of chips for radar, weapons systems, and clean energy setups.
