Infineon and Nvidia Partner to Develop GaN Power Conversion Technology for 800VDC Data Center Racks

Infineon Technologies has partnered with Nvidia to develop gallium nitride (GaN) power conversion technology for 800 VDC data center architectures, marking the latest step in the industry's broader shift toward higher-voltage power distribution for AI workloads. The German chipmaker announced the collaboration at Nvidia's GTC Berlin developer conference, building on a May 2025 agreement detailed in October 2025 that focused on serviceable, hot-swappable 800 VDC server racks.

The latest agreement centers on developing high-voltage intermediate bus converters (IBCs), which step down the main bus voltage feeding accelerator cards to a lower-voltage rail, enabling downstream stages to generate the core and point-of-load rails that AI processors require. Infineon said the multi-stage approach reduces distribution losses while meeting strict limits on board area, thermals, and uptime, adding that 800 VDC is being introduced alongside existing AC and lower-voltage DC architectures as an additional option for higher-density compute environments.

Infineon claims its GaN switches faster than silicon and with lower losses, enabling switching frequencies up to 1MHz at the IBC stage. The company asserts this allows magnetics and passives to shrink, increasing power density and reducing board height — a critical consideration as rack power levels approach the megawatt range. Infineon's GaN portfolio covers 800V-to-50V, 800V-to-12V, and 800V-to-6V conversion, paired with its PSoC Control C3 and EiceDRIVER product families to offer full IBC system solutions. The company also offers IBC solutions in silicon and silicon carbide.

"AI is fundamentally reshaping the demands we place on power infrastructure, and semiconductors are at the heart of solving that challenge," said Jochen Hanebeck, CEO of Infineon Technologies AG. "Our collaboration with Nvidia on 800V power architectures shows what is possible when deep semiconductor expertise meets the pace of innovation required by AI. Gallium nitride-based system solutions are a key enabler of this next generation of data centers, and Infineon is proud to help power the AI era from grid to core."

The agreement follows a deal with Estonian power and storage systems supplier Skeleton Technologies last month, which will see the companies jointly explore and develop advanced architectures for the entire AI data center power chain, from the grid to the facility itself, including solid state transformers for medium-voltage AC-to-high-voltage DC conversion. Infineon, one of Europe's largest semiconductor manufacturers, was spun out of Siemens in 1999 and specializes in power electronics, automotive microcontrollers, sensors, and security chips. The company has recently increased its research and development in power infrastructure for the data center sector, partnering with Korean electrical equipment manufacturer LS Electric earlier this year to develop direct current power infrastructure for the AI data center market.