The Silicon Carbide (SiC) — High-Voltage Power Conversion for AI & EVs
SiC is the material that makes 800V AI datacenter power and high-end EV motors possible. Four companies dominate.
Silicon carbide (SiC) chips can handle much higher voltages and switching speeds than regular silicon — making them essential for EV traction inverters (Tesla, BYD, every premium EV uses SiC), high-end charging infrastructure, and the new 800V AI HVDC architecture NVIDIA is rolling out with Rubin. Three companies lead by revenue: onsemi (US), STMicroelectronics (Europe), Infineon (Germany) , with Rohm (Japan) as a strong #4 and Coherent as a wafer #2. Wolfspeed is the post-bankruptcy turnaround story — emerged from Chapter 11 in September 2025 with 70% less debt and produced the first 300mm SiC wafer in January 2026.
SiC wafer manufacturing is hard. SiC device design requires decade-scale know-how. The barriers to entry have shaken out the weakest players (Wolfspeed bankruptcy), leaving the survivors with stronger pricing power.
4 names on the watchlist
Leading SiC supplier to autos with rapid growth in AI datacenter exposure.
US-listed SiC leader to autos with rapid growth in AI datacenter exposure . EliteSiC product line is the design-win standard at multiple EV OEMs and increasingly at hyperscaler datacenters for 800V HVDC architectures.
SiC leader by revenue. Datacenter SiC >$500M in 2026; space business >$1B.
European semiconductor leader. SiC leader by revenue. Datacenter SiC over $500M in 2026; Space business over $1B. Auto cycle recovery + AI datacenter exposure. Diversified across power, MCUs, and image sensors.
Global #1 power semis. Forecast 60-70% PMIC share on certain Blackwell SKUs (alternative analyst takes).
German global #1 in power semiconductors. Some analyst forecasts cite 60-70% PMIC share on certain Blackwell SKUs (competing with MPWR's claim). Strongest balance sheet in power semis + best EV/AI demand mix. Lower-beta European exposure.
Post-Chapter 11 reset. First 300mm SiC wafer produced Jan 2026. Renesas equity stake.
Emerged from Chapter 11 September 29, 2025 with ~70% debt reduction, maturities extended to 2030, 60% lower cash interest. January 2026 produced the first 300mm (12-inch) SiC wafer — a generational manufacturing breakthrough. New TOLT (Top-Side Cooled) package portfolio for AI/datacenter power supplies launched January 29, 2026. Renesas reissued equity stake in January 2026 with CFIUS clearance. Still unprofitable; very high beta; bankruptcy emerged less than a year ago. Pure post-restructure speculation. Size very small.