Lockheed Martin and manufacturing institute PowerAmerica have teamed up to develop and commercialize wide bandgap microelectronic tools the companies will build to reduce sizes electronic components and mitigate potential energy losses.
“Wide bandgap semiconductors have huge potential for aerospace and defense, especially in embedded power systems and high-power radio frequency applications,” Jeff Wilcox, vice president of engineering at Lockheed, said Monday.
Wilcox said those types of semiconductors work to help lower energy consumption of electrical grids and data centers and reduce the size of aircraft components.
PowerAmerica plans to set up a workforce development initiative and will work to develop manufacturing methods and design platforms by collaborating with government agencies, businesses and academic institutions.
PowerAmerica is an institute being managed by North Carolina State University and has been formed as part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation.