[News] Wolfspeed Sues Navitas Over GaN, SiC Patents, Reportedly Seeks U.S. Sales Ban

A new patent dispute has emerged in the power semiconductor industry. According to Investing.com, Wolfspeed announced that it had filed a patent infringement lawsuit against rival Navitas Semiconductor, alleging infringement of its “foundational” gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) intellectual property portfolio.

As the report notes, the lawsuit alleges that a wide range of Navitas products infringes multiple Wolfspeed patents, including U.S. Patent Nos. 8,169,005, 10,998,418, 10,886,396, 10,749,443, and 11,888,392. The accused products include Navitas’ GaN-based FET portfolio, including the GaNFast®, GaNSlim™, and GaNSafe® families, as well as its GeneSiC™ MOSFETs and SiCPAK® modules.

As noted by ESM China, Wolfspeed is seeking a court ruling that Navitas infringed its patents, a permanent injunction barring the production, import, and sale of all accused products in the U.S., as well as compensation for damages, reasonable patent licensing fees, and all legal costs associated with the lawsuit.

For Navitas, ESM China outlines three potential responses: reaching a long-term licensing agreement with Wolfspeed and continuing to pay patent royalties; investing in R&D to redesign its chip and packaging architecture to avoid the disputed patents; or reaching a settlement that includes cross-licensing agreements to share technology assets.

Strategic Stakes Behind the Patent Dispute

Analysts cited by ESM China say the dispute reflects the companies’ overlapping markets and differing business models. According to the report, Wolfspeed, a pioneer in the global silicon carbide (SiC) industry, operates across the entire value chain—from substrates and epitaxy to device manufacturing—and has spent decades developing wide-bandgap semiconductor technologies. Its extensive patent portfolio is regarded as a key competitive barrier.

Meanwhile, Navitas follows a fabless, asset-light business model, outsourcing wafer manufacturing while focusing on chip design. The company rapidly gained share in the consumer market with highly integrated gallium nitride (GaN) fast-charging products and has recently expanded aggressively into the fast-growing automotive-grade SiC market, bringing it into direct competition with Wolfspeed in power semiconductors.

Investing.com adds that the dispute centers on one of the semiconductor industry’s fastest-growing segments. SiC and GaN power devices are critical to electric vehicle powertrains, renewable energy inverters, and industrial power conversion, where intellectual property and design wins can provide significant long-term competitive advantages.

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(Photo credit: Wolfspeed)