AI EncyclopediaChips & deep techChips
Power semiconductor
전력 반도체
A semiconductor that changes and controls the strength and shape of electricity. It goes into chargers, electric cars and data center power supplies.
Overview
Hardly any device can use the electricity from a wall outlet as it is. A phone needs a lower voltage, and an electric car's motor needs the battery's electricity changed into the right form. A power semiconductor does these conversions by switching electricity on and off very fast. It does not calculate. It is a chip that handles strong electricity.
During the conversion, some of the electricity leaks away as heat. Chips made from silicon carbide (SiC) or gallium nitride (GaN) instead of silicon stand up better to high voltage and heat, and less electricity leaks. That lets devices be smaller and lighter, but they are harder to make and cost more.
An everyday example
Have you noticed laptop chargers that used to be the size of a brick getting much smaller? They use gallium nitride power semiconductors.
Why it matters
An electric car going farther on one charge, and an AI data center saving electricity, both depend on changing electricity with less leakage. That is why these chips appear in both electric car news and AI news.
Also calledpower chip