NextGO Epi Aims to Use Gallium Oxide to Reduce Electric Vehicle Charging Time to Just 10 Minutes

When talking about semiconductors, silicon is usually the main focus, but it's not the only element from the periodic table being used: in recent years, gallium-based semiconductors have also gained significant attention, especially in power supplies and other energy management devices.

NextGO Epi is a Berlin-based startup focused on developing gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) chips for electric vehicles, and it has just raised 2 million euros.

NextGO Epi Raises 2 Million Euros for Gallium Oxide Chips

One of the main limitations of today's electric vehicles is that, despite high power levels, they take a long time to charge. NextGO Epi intends to change this situation by using gallium oxide-based chips, which have a much wider voltage gap and would theoretically allow for much higher power management, resulting in electric vehicle charging in just 10 minutes.

Gallium oxide is approximately 10 times more efficient than silicon carbide, can handle a voltage density six times higher, and can be produced at a quarter of the price. It is therefore particularly promising as a material for charging stations, inverters for renewable energy production, AI data centers, and missile detection systems.

NextGO Epi aims to produce its chips on 100 mm wafers, which are much smaller than the 300 mm wafers currently standard in the silicon world. According to the startup, this size is sufficient to produce chips to meet the needs of all of Europe.

Companies like NextGO Epi are part of the push that the European Union is trying to implement to develop local technologies and supply chains, protecting itself from the international volatility we have witnessed in recent years.