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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The wide-bandgap semiconductor industry is centered on silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) power devices. Their use is expanding across electric vehicles, charging, renewable energy, industrial systems, grids and data centers, but the sector does not move as one market: applications, manufacturing models and regional investment differ. SEMI’s 2026 outlook points to capacity growth, not a guaranteed increase in SiC/GaN revenue or supplier profitability, and accessible public evidence does not establish one comparable global market-size figure.
What counts as a wide-bandgap semiconductor?
In power electronics, the industry discussion is principally about SiC and GaN. Their material properties can support operation at higher voltage or switching frequency and improve efficiency in suitable device and system designs. Those are potential engineering advantages, not a guarantee that a design will perform better or that either material can replace silicon in every application.
“Wide-bandgap” is not one interchangeable product category. Product families include SiC Schottky diodes, MOSFETs and power modules, as well as GaN power integrated circuits. The relevant comparison is between devices suited to a particular system, rather than between the material names in isolation. Wolfspeed’s FY2026 annual report and Navitas’ FY2025 annual report describe these distinct product families.
Where are SiC and GaN devices used?
Company filings and industry reporting identify applications where power conversion, efficiency, voltage handling or switching characteristics matter. Examples include:
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- Electrified transport and charging: EV power systems and charging infrastructure.
- Renewable energy and grids: solar inverters, renewable-energy conversion and grid modernization.
- Industrial power: uninterruptible power supplies and other industrial power systems.
- Computing: server power supplies and AI data centers.
These are application areas and potential demand drivers, not evidence that every supplier serves each market or that demand is growing at the same rate across all of them. SEMI’s September 2026 Power & Compound Fab Report also identifies electrification, energy infrastructure, industrial automation and telecommunications among broader structural drivers for power and compound semiconductors.
What do the latest industry figures show?
The figures below describe different scopes. Capacity forecasts, fab counts, equipment spending, a UK sector census and one company’s production milestone cannot be added together or treated as a direct measure of global SiC/GaN sales.
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| Indicator | Reported figure | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Power and compound semiconductor capacity forecast | SEMI forecast growth of 6% in 2026 and 6% in 2027 | Broader power and compound semiconductor capacity, not WBG device revenue. SEMI, September 2026. |
| Fabs and production lines in SEMI’s 2018–2029 inventory | 1,091 worldwide | Includes R&D facilities, planned projects and closed facilities. It is an inventory across the stated period, not a count of active WBG production sites. SEMI, September 2026. |
| Facilities scheduled to begin operations | 51 fabs or lines, including epitaxy facilities | SEMI says these are scheduled to begin operations in 2026 and beyond; scheduled projects are not proof of completed capacity. SEMI, September 2026. |
| Fab-equipment spending forecast | Nearly US$29 billion in 2026 and US$32 billion in 2027 | SEMI estimates for power and compound semiconductor fabs, not SiC/GaN sales. SEMI, September 2026. |
| Companies identified in the UK semiconductor-sector study | 703: 295 dedicated and 408 diversified | The UK Department for Science, Innovation and Technology’s 2026 study scope; not a global count of WBG firms. |
| SMEs in the UK study cohort | 89% | Share of the companies identified in that UK study, not an estimate for the global supply chain. UK DSIT, 2026. |
| SiC production milestone reported by Fuji Electric | Full-scale 6-inch SiC device mass production began in December 2024 | A company-specific milestone reported in Fuji Electric Report 2025, not a measure of industry-wide production. |
Can the global market size be stated reliably?
Not as one comparable figure from the accessible public material cited here. Market totals depend on what is being counted—device revenue, materials, production capacity or a broader power-semiconductor category—and on whether the scope is limited to power devices or includes other markets such as RF. Combining figures with different definitions can produce a misleading total.
Omdia’s SiC & GaN Power Semiconductors Report – 2025 uses 2024 as its base year, covers 2022–2023 historically and forecasts 2025–2029; detailed data are subscription-only. Omdia’s SiC Power Semiconductor Market – 2026 Database lists coverage of five device types and 17 application sectors, with data from 2023 through 2034, also behind a subscription. The existence of these trackers does not by itself establish a particular market value. A defensible market figure needs the report’s actual data table and its definition of the market being measured.
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How do companies make and supply these devices?
The supply chain can include material and wafer supply, epitaxy, device design and fabrication, packaging, and integration into power systems. Companies organize those stages differently, which affects where manufacturing risk and investment sit.
- Fabless design and outsourced manufacturing: Navitas describes itself as a fabless design house that contracts chip and package manufacturing to partners. Its FY2025 annual report says results depend on partner capacity, cost structure, yield and execution.
- In-house production and capacity investment: Fuji Electric reports SiC front-end production at its Tsugaru facility, including full-scale 6-inch device production beginning in December 2024. Its 2025 report describes plans to expand capacity and develop an 8-inch pilot line; those are reported plans, not evidence that the planned capacity has since been achieved.
These examples illustrate different operating models; they are not a complete map of the supplier landscape. For buyers and system designers, wafer availability alone is not enough to assess resilience: packaging, production yield, partner dependence and integration capability also matter.
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- Integrated Antenna: Features PCB trace antenna built directly on-board for immediate testing and development without requiring external antenna components
How do policy and geopolitics affect the outlook?
Government policy and supply-chain competition are part of the industry picture, but their effects are region-specific. The UK government’s 2026 semiconductor-sector study identifies increased public support, compound-semiconductor capacity investment and geopolitical risk as themes in its review of the UK sector. It also notes Octric rebuilding GaN capability with some public finance. These are UK developments, not evidence of the same policy or capacity conditions elsewhere.
The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission’s 2025 Annual Report to Congress discusses China’s wide-bandgap ambitions, state support, competition in upstream materials and gallium-related export controls. It also repeats historical Wolfspeed market-share figures of 62% in 2021 and 33% in 2023, attributed in that report to cited sources. Those figures are historical and secondary-reported; they should not be presented as current market shares.
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What should determine an SiC or GaN outlook?
For a company, product or application, the useful questions are more specific than whether the overall WBG market is “growing.” Assess:
- Application fit: which device family is used and what the system requires in voltage, switching frequency, efficiency and power density.
- Manufacturing evidence: whether capacity is operating, under construction or only planned, and whether the company relies on external fabrication or packaging partners.
- End-market exposure: how much the supplier depends on transport, charging, renewables, industrial power, grids or data-center demand.
- Supply-chain resilience: wafer and material access, production yield, packaging, integration and geographic concentration.
- Metric discipline: whether a reported number measures capacity, equipment investment, device revenue or a broader semiconductor category, and whether it is a forecast or a realized result.
SEMI’s positive 2026–2027 capacity forecast is a meaningful industry signal, but it is not a substitute for company-level evidence on shipments, utilization, margins or demand. The sector’s prospects are best judged by application and supplier, not by treating all SiC and GaN businesses as one uniform market.
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