By Caspar Birk, AAU Communication and Public Affairs
Photo: Lasse Møller Badstue

They are found in wind turbines. They are found in heat pumps. They are found where there is a need for a strong and secure energy supply.

These are power chips, and a team of researchers from Aalborg University has produced a unique power chip based on the material gallium oxide. There are several good reasons to be proud of and happy about this, says Stig Munk-Nielsen, professor at the Department of Energy at Aalborg University.

"Firstly, the chip is much cheaper to produce than the traditional power chips, which are made from silicon carbide. We can achieve the performance of the currently best power chips at a third of the price. Secondly, the production of power chips in Denmark will give Denmark security of supply in an area that has an incredible impact on the Danish economy," says Stig Munk-Nielsen, referring to Vestas, Grundfos and Danfoss, among others, which all use power chips in their productions.

Million-dollar investment to accelerate development

The project has been underway for almost a year and a half, since Stig Munk-Nielsen came up with the idea of producing a power chip in gallium oxide at a conference in the United States. Shortly after, he stumbled upon a factory in Japan, where you can produce power chips for a fraction of what it normally costs.

"One of the researchers on the team has a past in the Japanese chip industry, so I sent him and another researcher on their way. In just two weeks, they constructed this unique power chip," says Stig Munk-Nielsen.
The plan is now to buy similar machines so that the chip can be produced and developed for industrial use. Funding has been applied for from Innovation Fund Denmark, just as Aalborg University itself has injected millions into the project.

"We are investing to accelerate the development of a chip with the clear goal of starting production in the region and in Denmark. It is strategically important for Denmark and Europe to have their own production of power chips," says Lars Storm Pedersen, Head of Department at AAU Energy.

Dreaming of business adventure

The project also has the support of several stakeholders, including Polyteknik A/S, which is a company with close ties to Aalborg University.

The company builds equipment for chip production, is headquartered in Østervrå and is currently in the process of building a new factory in Hjallerup. They enter the collaboration with a clear ambition:

"In Polyteknik, we have a natural interest in creating a larger cluster of companies related to the chip industry in the long term. It will be a growth catalyst for chip development and production in North Jutland," says Jens William Larsen, CEO of Polyteknik.

And the idea maker behind the unique power chip also has big dreams in terms of what the project can lead to.

"On a global scale, power chips are just a niche of the chip area, but in Denmark it is huge. Therefore, we want to create an environment where new companies can grow up around the development of the power chip. It will strengthen research at the university, create jobs and make North Jutland a powerhub for chip technology," says Stig Munk-Nielsen.