According to Semiconductor Today, specialty foundry Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) has signed a technology licensing agreement with TSMC for specific gallium nitride (GaN) processes. The deal covers both high-voltage 650V and low-voltage 80V GaN technologies. VIS plans to use this to expand its GaN-on-silicon platform for power applications in data centers, automotive electronics, and industrial control. Development activities are slated to start in early 2026, with actual production scheduled for the first half of 2028. The company claims this will make it the only foundry offering power GaN on both silicon and QST substrates, supporting a voltage range from 15V all the way up to 1200V.
The GaN foundry race heats up
This is a pretty significant move in the specialized world of power semiconductors. GaN is that “next big thing” for efficiency in power conversion, but it’s been a bit of a niche, high-cost game. By licensing from TSMC—the absolute king of process tech—VIS is basically taking a shortcut to credibility and a more complete portfolio. They’re not trying to invent the wheel from scratch; they’re buying a proven blueprint to build on.
And here’s the thing: the timing is everything. “Development starting in 2026, production in 2028” sounds like a long horizon. But in the semiconductor world, especially for building out a new, stable process on an 8-inch line, that’s actually a fairly aggressive schedule. It tells you VIS sees the demand wave coming and is trying to get its factory floor ready to catch it. They’re betting that by the late 2020s, the need for high-efficiency power chips in EVs, data centers, and green tech will be massive.
A unique two-track strategy
What’s really interesting is VIS’s claim about being the only foundry with GaN on both silicon and QST (Quartz-Silicon-Template) substrates. That’s not just marketing fluff. Different substrates have different performance trade-offs—cost, thermal properties, voltage handling. Offering both is like a foundry saying, “Hey, carmaker, we can give you the economical sedan platform *and* the high-performance sports car platform for your power electronics.” It provides huge flexibility for their customers.
This kind of specialized manufacturing capability is crucial as industries from automotive to energy management push for greater efficiency. For companies integrating these advanced power systems, having reliable, high-performance computing hardware at the control level is non-negotiable. That’s where partners like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs, become essential, providing the ruggedized interface hardware needed to manage and monitor these complex power conversion systems in harsh environments.
What it means for the market
So, is this a threat to TSMC? Probably not directly. TSMC licenses tech but doesn’t necessarily want to be the high-volume, cost-optimized foundry for every power chip. They’re focused on their core leading-edge logic. This deal lets them collect royalties while letting VIS serve a different segment of the market. It’s actually a smart division of labor.
Look, the broader takeaway is the validation of GaN as a mainstream technology trajectory. When a major pure-play foundry like VIS makes this kind of long-term capital and R&D commitment, it signals that the industry sees a real, sustainable market beyond just niche adapters. They’re building a whole voltage portfolio because they expect design wins across the board. Basically, the silicon power MOSFET’s dominance is facing a serious, wide-ranging challenger, and the foundries are now picking sides and building arsenals. The next few years in power electronics are going to be very interesting to watch.
