‘Short-Term Turbulence’ in China to Stifle Growth at GaN Chipmaker Navitas

Navitas Semiconductor is working closely with Motorola on “a comprehensive co-op marketing campaign” to promote the embedding of a Navitas gallium-nitride (GaN) fast charger in the Motorola Edge+ smartphone, said CEO Gene Sheridan on a Q1 earnings call Thursday. The 68-watt fast charger has 1 watt per cubic centimeter of power density and is capable of “a 0% to 50% charge time” in 15 minutes, he said. The Motorola Edge+, which retails for $899.99, is the only handset that works on Dish Network’s 5G service that launched commercially in Las Vegas on May 4 (see 2205040057). Navitas is enduring some “short-term turbulence,” specifically in China, “given the COVID-related shutdowns and some softness in the Chinese smartphone market,” said Sheridan. “These two factors, in combination with some continued non-GaN component shortages, are expected to have some impact on our growth rate in Q2.” Sheridan announced on the call that sustainability company Natural Capital Partners named Navitas as the world’s first semiconductor maker to achieve carbon-neutral status.