[News] BelGaN Bankruptcy to Cost Belgium €1M; GaN Plant May Be Repurposed for Photonic Chips

BelGaN’s GaN power semiconductor plant in Belgium was shut down last year. According to a report from eeNews Europe, three consortia are reportedly interested in acquiring the facility, primarily for photonics applications. The report also notes that the plant had previously focused on automotive power devices.

The report states that the closure is expected to cost local authorities more than EUR 1.1 million, adding that a proposal from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers will provide support for the 417 employees laid off in July 2024.

Among the reported bidders is Silex Microsystems, known as the world’s largest pure-play MEMS foundry. As noted by evertiq, Silex Microsystems was previously Chinese-owned but became Swedish-owned again in June 2025, after a consortium led by Bure Equity and Creades acquired a majority stake from former Chinese owner.

In addition, the report mentions that a European consortium made a EUR 2 million downpayment in April 2025 as part of a EUR 20 million deal to repurpose the site for photonic chip production.

According to Bits and Chips, BelGaN filed for bankruptcy in July 2024 after plans to convert its Oudenaarde site into a GaN chip foundry fell through. The report notes that GaN, along with SiC, is expected to challenge silicon’s dominance in the growing power electronics market. However, BelGaN ran out of funds during the transition. Chinese companies were among the main buyers at the early 2025 bankruptcy auction for BelGaN’s high-tech equipment, as noted by TechNews, citing The Brussels Times.

As Politico indicates, BelGaN was founded in the 1980s and has changed ownership multiple times. The report adds that its most recent acquisition occurred in 2021, when two Hong Kong-based funds, Rockley and Wuxi Group, acquired the company from U.S. chipmaker Onsemi.

Read more

• [News] Infineon Accelerates GaN Push While TSMC Exits, with 300mm Wafer Samples Expected 4Q25
• [News] TSMC to Exit GaN Production by July 2027, Reportedly Repurposes Fab for Advanced Packaging

(Photo credit: BelGaN)