News: Microelectronics
18 December 2025
CGD wins Hyundai Open Innovation challenge
Fabless firm Cambridge GaN Devices Ltd (CGD) — which was spun out of the University of Cambridge in 2016 to design, develop and commercialize power transistors and ICs that use GaN-on-silicon substrates — has been named as one of the winners of Hyundai’s Open Innovation Challenge on the future of sporty driving. Out of nearly 50 companies, CGD’s one-chip ICeGaN solution has been selected for its robustness and ease of use, showing high potential for utilization in power modules for EV traction inverters. This technology enables GaN to be considered as a cost-effective alternative to expensive silicon carbide (SiC) solutions in the high-power EV inverter market, says CGD.
“Hyundai CRADLE is the global arm of open innovation within Hyundai Motor Group. Its mission is to search for and work with anyone or any association that has new ideas, products or technologies that can help build a world with better mobility experiences for all,” says Daniel Murphy, CGD’s senior director, product management. “We are honoured that CGD and our ICeGaN IC technology has been recognised as a winning technology, and we're excited to explore how GaN can drive a more dynamic and energy-efficient future for EVs,” he adds.
ICeGaN’s monolithically integrated control and protection features support the operation of multiple devices in parallel, for higher-power applications, and reduces the external component count, improving reliability and solution size.
“GaN presents significant advantages over both traditional silicon and silicon carbide, which we are investigating,” says Dr Reza Fathi, senior manager, HYUNDAI CRADLE. “We are excited to collaborate with CGD on our ongoing proof-of-concept project to evaluate CGD’s promising ICeGaN technology for potential automotive applications.”
The Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Centre (HMETC) is part of the Hyundai, Kia and Genesis brands, and is the company’s sole R&D centre in Europe. Together, Hyundai CRADLE and HMETC are looking for companies to elevate and support the future of sporty driving. The Hyundai CRADLE & HMETC Open Innovation Challenge 2025, themed ‘Sporty Driving: An Open Call for Tech Visionaries’ aims to discover the most innovative entrepreneurial and technological projects in Europe’s and Israel’s automotive and mobility sector, with the focus on high-performance applications.
CGD partners with GlobalFoundries to supply single-chip ICeGaN power devices
