Gallium Price ($US/KG)
21 June 2024 : Price $814.30
1 January 2024: Price $755.80
Source
Steady grind higher for Gallium + U$3.10 / kg for the week
Broad commodity and equity markets remain volatile in June, however the steady grind higher in gallium continues. From January 2024 levels of U$755.80 / kg to the current U$814.30 / kg indicated price, gallium is up almost 8% for the year. The lack of volatility is a welcome constant.
This week ASX-listed Bluglass (BLG.AU) hosted an expert panel focusing on “The GaN Revolution – Powering the technologies of tomorrow” and G50 Corp (G50.AU) hosted a webinar with a mid-year update on the gallium market fundamentals. When viewed together it’s a great summary of the upstream dynamics driving gallium itself while the panel at BluGlass do a great job setting the scene for GaN demand in the decade to come. Details of both calls are below, however, one quote (of many) caught our attention from the panel discussion…..
“ No clean energy roadmap can exist without GaN “
We at G50 …..agree !
TD Securities is the next Canadian Bank to talk about Data Centers
What to Watch:
Ongoing investment in GenAI capabilities, software and market penetration; hyperscale, sovereign, enterprise data center CapEx trends and commentary; data center physical infrastructure impacts on power delivery, cooling and efficiency; and durability of demand across data center spending verticals.
Part I – The Next Decade Driven by Acceleration & GenAI
Part II – Power Constraints – The Path Forward
https://www.tdsecurities.com/ca/en/data-centers-2-power-constraints
BluGlass – The GaN Revolution
Industry experts discussed GaN’s growing role in enabling critical capabilities and driving global mega-trends – everything from advanced computing and AI, advanced manufacturing, industry 4.0, defense and aviation, to decarbonization and the energy transition.
Expert Panel included:
- Professor Steven DenBaars, Professor of Materials and Co-Director of the Solid-State Lighting Center at University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB)
- Dr Michael Schuette, Director Business Development at global high-performance semiconductor leader MACOM Technology Solutions
- Dr Hugues Marchand, VP Epitaxial Technology at IQE, a leading supplier of advanced wafer products and material solutions
- Dr Steven Duvall, independent semiconductor professional
- and Dr Josh Brown, Head of Epitaxy at BluGlass
For a fantastic 60-minute review of GaN applications, visit the following link.
G50 Corp – Gallium Market mid-year update
Hot on the heels of BluGlass, G50 Corp held a mid-year update looking at current gallium pricing and the new Chinese export data points – 12 months on, from announcing export license restrictions. The world’s No.1 producer of gallium has honoured their word. Details can be found in the presentation at the following link.
Microsoft, Macquarie pump billions into power-hungry data centres
SMH – paywall restricted
Global heavyweights Microsoft and Macquarie Bank are joining with Goodman Group to plough billions of dollars into new data centre developments. Microsoft is committing $5 billion to expand its infrastructure footprint in what the company called its single largest Australian investment in its 40-year history in the country.
TI, Delta open Taiwan GaN R&D lab
Texas Instruments (TI) has opened a joint R&D lab with Delta Electronics today to develop next-generation electric vehicle (EV) onboard charging and power systems using gallium nitride (GaN) technologies.
The LMG2100R044 and LMG3100R017 100V GaN power stages reduce the size of the power supply for mid-voltage applications by more than 40% and achieve industry-leading power density of over 1.5kW/in3, enabled by GaN technology’s higher switching frequencies that means less windings are needed in the transformer.
The GaN power stages also reduce switching power losses by 50% compared to silicon-based solutions, while achieving 98% or higher system efficiency given the lower output capacitance and lower gate-drive losses. In a solar inverter system, for example, higher density and efficiency enables the same panel to store and produce more power while decreasing the size of the overall microinverter system.
https://www.eenewseurope.com/en/ti-delta-open-taiwan-gan-rd-lab/
Renasas offers GaN power transistors after Transphorm deal
Renansas of Japan (Mkt Cap: U$34bn) announced a U$340 million deal in January 2024 to acquire Transphorm of California.
“With the closing of the acquisition now completed, Renesas will immediately start offering GaN-based power products and related reference designs to meet the rising demand for wide bandgap semiconductor products,” said Renesas. “Investing in the power business is an important part of Renesas’ strategy.” Renasas is currently acquiring Altium listed on the ASX for A$8.8 bn