ROHM Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Rom"), an advanced enterprise in the field of SiC (silicon carbide) power components, signed a long-term supply cooperation agreement for SiC power components with Vitesco Technologies, a large manufacturer of advanced driving technology and electrification solutions in the world, on June 19, 2023. According to the cooperation agreement, the transaction volume between the two parties between 2024 and 2030 will exceed 130 billion yen.http://www.ic-bom.com/

The reason for achieving this cooperation is that both parties have established the "Electric Vehicle Power Electronics Technology Development Partnership" in 2020, and have conducted close technical cooperation based on the partnership to develop SiC power components suitable for electric vehicles and inverter products using SiC chips.

As the first result of joint development by both parties, Vitesco plans to supply advanced inverters using the Roma SiC chip as early as 2024. Currently, this inverter has been adopted by two large electric vehicle manufacturers‘ products, achieving the originally set goals ahead of schedule.

In the development of electric vehicle inverters, SiC power components are a crucial component that helps achieve more efficient power electronic design. Among them, SiC chips are particularly important key technologies for electric vehicles, as they need to support high voltage and extend range and reduce battery size by effectively utilizing electrical energy.http://www.ic-bom.com/

In the future, both sides will continue to deepen cooperation and use SiC to assist electric vehicles in further improving efficiency and achieving faster charging speeds.

ROHM Co, Dr. Ino and Ying, CFO of Ltd., stated: In the rapidly developing electric vehicle market, SiC power components are an important technology for achieving higher efficiency. Roma has an advanced development and manufacturing system in the SiC market. I believe that establishing a deeper business partnership with important strategic partner Vitesco will help Roma further penetrate the market. Additionally, Roma is expected to gain over 30% market share

Although the device is small, its effect is particularly significant

The dielectric Electrical breakdown strength of SiC is 10 times that of traditional Si (silicon), the band gap width is 3 times that of Si, and it has more excellent heat dissipation characteristics. Therefore, SiC performs exceptionally well in terms of significantly reducing power loss, achieving miniaturization of application equipment, and stable driving in high voltage and high temperature environments.http://www.ic-bom.com/

With these characteristics, compared to traditional Si, power electronic devices using SiC power components can further reduce losses during power conversion. Especially under high voltage conditions such as 800V, the efficiency of SiC inverters is significantly higher than that of Si inverters. In electric vehicle charging applications, the higher the voltage, the shorter the time required to fully charge, leading to an increasing global demand for SiC products. In addition, the use of SiC products can more effectively utilize the electrical energy of electric vehicle batteries, which helps to extend the range of electric vehicles and reduce battery size.http://www.ic-bom.com/