Navitas Semiconductor (Nasdaq: NVTS) announced on September 1, 2026 that first shipments of fifth-generation GaNFast technology, manufactured through its collaboration with GlobalFoundries (Nasdaq: GFS), would begin that month. Production runs at GF's Burlington, Vermont fab on a 200mm GaN-on-Si manufacturing line.
The significance of this announcement lies less in device performance than in the fact that GaN power semiconductors now have a domestic volume supply source in the US.
From partnership to production in roughly ten months
Navitas and GlobalFoundries announced their long-term strategic partnership in November 2025, aimed at accelerating US GaN innovation and domestic manufacturing. First shipments arrived roughly ten months later, in September 2026.
GF brings decades of semiconductor manufacturing experience and high-volume capability, giving Navitas a trusted domestic supply source. Navitas developed its Gen 5 GaNFast FETs and power ICs optimized for this manufacturing line—this was not a simple foundry swap but design work matched to the process.
On the technology side, Navitas has accumulated more than 300 granted and pending patents in GaN and SiC since its founding in 2014. Proprietary depth in process design kits (PDKs), device architecture, and integrated power technology underpins the collaboration with GF.
"National security" sits among the four target applications
Gen 5 GaNFast names four target markets: AI infrastructure, high-performance computing (HPC), industrial electrification, and critical national security applications. The GaNFast FETs and power ICs integrate power, drive, control, sensing, and protection.
Manufacturing site
GlobalFoundries' Burlington, Vermont fab, running a 200mm GaN-on-Si platform.
Timeline
Long-term strategic partnership signed November 2025; first shipments roughly ten months later in September 2026.
Technology base
Navitas holds 300+ granted and pending patents in GaN and SiC since its 2014 founding, with strengths in PDKs, device architecture, and integrated power technology.
Target applications
AI infrastructure, HPC, industrial electrification, and critical national security applications, with power, drive, control, sensing, and protection integrated.
Explicitly naming national security applications signals that manufacturing location can become a requirement in GaN device procurement. In defense-related and critical infrastructure work, where a part is made enters the qualification criteria alongside performance and cost. Securing a domestic volume source is a precondition for remaining an option in those applications.
What it means for procurement decisions
GaN supply chains have been shaped by geopolitical factors in recent years. Patent litigation has moved actual supply—we covered one such case in The GaN Patent War: Infineon's ITC Win and Wolfspeed's Suit. The position of Chinese suppliers also differs by market. Against that backdrop, a volume line standing up inside the US gives procurement teams something concrete to weigh when considering supplier diversification.
That said, what has been disclosed extends only to the start of shipments. Capacity scale, price competitiveness, and how this splits against existing Asian production remain unstated. There is distance between a domestic option *existing* and it being usable as a primary source. Evaluating it means watching shipment volumes over time and where per-device pricing settles relative to Asian-manufactured parts.