By Alex Iuorio, SVP Supplier Management Business Development, Avnet.
The semiconductor industry’s experience with high-bandwidth memory and DDR5 shortages may be a preview of what’s coming for power semiconductors. Global data center capacity is on track for a 3x increase by 2030, with AI workloads driving GPU rack power demands toward 100 kW per rack and beyond. As wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors — silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) — become essential for high-efficiency power supply architectures, the pressure on supply chains may echo what is currently being felt in the memory market.
Server power supply units are transitioning from silicon MOSFETs to WBG devices: SiC MOSFETs in the high-voltage PFC front end and GaN FETs in high-frequency LLC converter stages, with GaN also targeted for direct 48V-to-sub-1V point-of-load conversion. The Open Compute Project ORv3 specification supporting 100 kW+ racks is accelerating adoption. Infineon is collaborating with NVIDIA to develop a reference 800V DC architecture capable of powering racks requiring 1 MW or more; onsemi is transitioning to 200mm wafers while managing supply chain resilience through long-term agreements with partners including Vitesco and Magna.
For OEMs designing with WBG devices, proactive supply chain management is essential: secure long-term supply agreements, diversify sourcing, collaborate early with suppliers, and plan for extended lead times. The WBG market is still maturing, and sudden demand surges from data centers could replicate the memory shortage dynamic. Organizations that build supply resilience now will be better positioned when — not if — constraints arrive.
