Transphorm

Transphorm, Inc.

Company type	Subsidiary
Traded as	Nasdaq: TGAN
Industry	Power electronics
Founded	2007;18 years ago (2007)
Founders	Umesh Mishra Primit Parikh
Headquarters	Goleta, California, U.S.
Products	GaN power transistors
Parent	Renesas Electronics
Website	transphormusa.com

Transphorm, Inc. is an American semiconductor company focused on producing transistors made from gallium nitride (GaN) for use in switched-mode power supplies. ^[1] The company was acquired by Renesas Electronics in 2024. ^[2]

History

Transphorm was founded in February 2007 in Delaware. ^{[3] [4]} It is headquartered in Goleta, California, close to the University of California at Santa Barbara (UCSB) from which the company is an offshoot and where the co-founder and CTO, Umesh Mishra, is a professor. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

In 2011, Google Ventures invested $20 million into Transphorm. The money is to assist the companies development of power conversion technologies. ^{[8] [9]} They also received capital from Kleiner Perkins and others amounting to $18 million. ^[9]

In September 2012, Transphorm released the TPH2006PS which was the first JEDEC qualified 600V HEMT in the industry. ^{[10] [11]}

In November 2013, Transphorm teamed up with Fujitsu Semiconductor to integrate their GaN power devices into power supply businesses with Fujitsu as well as Fujitsu Semiconductor only taking minority equity positions. ^{[12] [13] [14]}

In 2015, they received a $70 million investment which was led by the global investment firm KKR. ^[15]

Transphorm went public by reversing merging with a special-purpose acquisition company, Peninsula Acquisition Corporation, in February 2020. ^{[16] [17]} In August 2021, Transphorm acquired 100% interest in the AFSW wafer-fab facility from GaNovation, a manufacturer for high voltage GaNs. ^[18]

In March 2023, Transphorm released the first gallium nitride (GaN) System-in-Package (SiP) together with Weltrend Semiconductor Inc.. The Weltrend SiP will be showcased by Transphorm at the 2023 Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC). ^{[19] [20]}

Together with Yaskawa Electric, Transphorm has developed a new patented technology for GaN power transistors with a short circuit withstand time (SCWT) of 5 microseconds in August 2023. ^{[21] [22]}

In January 2024, Renesas Electronics agreed to acquire Transphorm for $339 million. ^[23] On June 20, 2024, it was announced that Renesas had completed the purchase of the company.

References

1. Hsu, Tiffany (2011-02-23). "California start-up Transphorm gets $20 million from Google Ventures to develop power conversion technology". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2015-11-29. $38 million in capital from Google, Kleiner Perkins and more.
2. "Renesas Completes Acquisition of Transphorm". Renesas. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
3. "Transphorm, Inc. (TGAN) Company Profile & Facts - Yahoo Finance". finance.yahoo.com. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
4. "Transphorm appoints co-founders Primit Parikh and Umesh Mishra as president & CEO and chair". www.semiconductor-today.com. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
5. "The Daily Start-Up: Japan's Giants Lead $35M Round for Transphorm, Seeing Potential in GaN-Based Electronics". Wall Street Journal. 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2015-11-29. Japanese corporations led a $35 million Series E investment in U.S. start-up Transphorm
6. Clark, Don (2013-11-28). "Fujitsu Reaches Deal With Transphorm". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2015-11-29. Transphorm Inc. said it would buy rival operations of Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. as the U.S. startup furthers its pursuit of new technology for saving energy in electronic products.
7. Clark, Don (2015-06-22). "Energy-Saving Material Gets a Boost". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2015-11-29. [KKR] is using its own money to lead a $70 million funding round for the startup Transphorm Inc.
8. Savitz, Eric. "Google Ventures, Kleiner Back Power Conversion Play Transphorm". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
9. "California start-up Transphorm gets $20 million from Google Ventures to develop power conversion technology". Los Angeles Times. 2011-02-23. Retrieved 2023-09-21.
10. "Transphorm Releases Industry's First JEDEC Qualified 600V GaN HEMT". www.prnewswire.com. 2012-09-12. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
11. "GaN Technology, What the Power Designer Needs to Know" (PDF). psma.com. 2012-07-12. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
12. "Transphorm and Fujitsu to merge GaN power device businesses". semiconductor-today.com. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
13. "Transphorm and Fujitsu to Integrate GaN Power Device Businesses - Fujitsu Global". www.fujitsu.com. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
14. "Mass production of Transphorm's GaN power devices commences in Japan - NS Energy". 28 January 2015. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
15. "Transphorm announces new $70 million investment led by KKR". Business Standard. 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
16. "Transphorm Inc. completed the acquisition of Peninsula Acquisition Corp. -February 11, 2020 | MarketScreener". www.marketscreener.com. 2020-02-12. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
17. "Form of Lock-Up Agreement | Peninsula Acquisition Corp | Business Contracts | Justia". contracts.justia.com. Retrieved 2023-12-20.
18. "Transphorm Announces the Close of JV Transaction for Acquisition of AFSW Wafer-Fab". www.businesswire.com. 2021-08-02. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
19. "Transphorm and Weltrend Collaborate on Integrated GaN SiP". EE Times Asia. 2023-03-16. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
20. "Transphorm and Weltrend Semiconductor Partner to Release Integrated GaN System-in-Package". Yahoo Finance. 2023-03-01. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
21. Flaherty, Nick (2023-08-10). "Transphorm GaN hits Short Circuit robustness for motor drives". eeNews Europe. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
22. "Transphorm's GaN First to Hit Short Circuit Robustness Milestone Key to Motor Drive Applications". Yahoo Finance. 2023-08-09. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
23. Mukano, Ryo (2024-01-11). "Japan's Renesas to acquire U.S. power semiconductor maker". Nikkei Asia.