GE Aerospace and Wolfspeed sign MOU to speed adoption of high-voltage silicon carbide

GE Aerospace and Wolfspeed announced on Monday that they have entered into a memorandum of understanding, or MOU, aimed at accelerating adoption of high-voltage silicon carbide, a semiconductor technology used to improve power efficiency in high-demand electrical systems. The companies said the collaboration is designed to move from technology readiness toward broader market acceptance by aligning on how high-voltage SiC components should be packaged and integrated into power modules. (A memorandum of understanding is a non-binding agreement that outlines how parties intend to cooperate.)

Under the MOU, Wolfspeed would supply its 10 kV MOSFET die, a die is the bare semiconductor chip used to build power semiconductors, while MOSFET refers to a type of transistor that switches electrical power. GE Aerospace said the two firms would jointly determine standard high-voltage power module formats for commercial introduction, with the goal of reducing integration complexity for end systems.

The companies said the work would support solid-state transformers, an increasingly common goal in power networks to replace bulky traditional transformer designs with semiconductor-based alternatives. They also pointed to industrial electrification and next-generation aerospace and defense platforms as priority applications, arguing that higher-voltage modules can reduce the number of series-connected devices and simplify system designs. In their announcement, GE Aerospace and Wolfspeed tied the scope of the MOU to U.S. government priorities for speeding “time-to-power” in strategic markets such as artificial intelligence, where power delivery is a growing constraint.

GE Aerospace President of Electrical Power Kris Shepherd said the firms are “ready to shape a robust value chain” for high-power silicon carbide based on a focus on smaller, reliable, and more efficient end systems. Wolfspeed Chief Executive Robert Feurle said the companies are positioned to deliver the “building blocks” the market needs now, adding that high-voltage silicon carbide is “production-ready” at a time when legacy silicon is struggling to solve power-delivery pressures.

Beyond the announced coordination, GE Aerospace pointed to recent milestones in its own silicon carbide development and qualification efforts. The company said it recently qualified high-voltage power units for U.S. military ground vehicles, describing them as production ready. GE Aerospace also said it successfully demonstrated a fourth generation of silicon carbide power MOSFET devices at its Research Center in Niskayuna, New York, aimed at improving switching speed, efficiency, and durability.

For context, GE Aerospace has been positioning silicon carbide as an enabling technology across electrical-power architectures, including land and defense vehicles. On its website describing electrical power capabilities, GE Aerospace said it has worked with the U.S. Army’s Ground Vehicle Systems Center, formally TARDEC, to develop high-voltage architectures for ground combat vehicles, and that systems were both lab-tested and field-tested with support from that program.

Wolfspeed, meanwhile, has emphasized the availability of its high-voltage silicon carbide products and manufacturing scale. In its own investor materials, Wolfspeed described its commercially available 10,000 V silicon carbide power MOSFET, framing it as a durable, system-enabling component for high-voltage power designs.

The companies did not specify a timeline for when the standardized module formats would be finalized, nor did they disclose whether the MOU will translate into a binding production contract for any particular programs. Details on target customer qualification cycles, volume forecasts, or which exact module formats would be prioritized first were also not provided in the announcement. Investors and customers will likely want clarity on how quickly standards efforts can become deployable designs and how supply chain commitments will be structured if demand rises.