Danfoss Silicon Power, Germany, announced plans to join forces with General Electric (GE), Fairfield, Conn., to develop next-generation silicon-carbide (SiC) power modules.

The transatlantic collaboration between Danfoss and GE will be part of New York Power Electronics Manufacturing Consortium (NY-PEMC) in New York, which will focus on the development of next-generation semiconductor materials and packaging to enable the creation of smaller, faster and more efficient mobile devices.

Danfoss Silicon Power will establish SiC power modules packaging operations in Utica, N.Y., by early 2018, and is expected to create hundreds of jobs in the coming years. GE will provide SiC chips for the modules.

The Utica facility will allow Danfoss Silicon Power to better serve its U.S. customer base. Danfoss Silicon Power serves the automotive, renewable energy and industrial sectors.

“This is a very important step for Danfoss, as the U.S. is our biggest market and essential to our business. The cooperation with GE has great strategic impact for Danfoss; it is important for our future growth plans in the U.S., and we have big expectations for the further developments in this highly-specialized area,” says Kim Fausing, executive vice president and COO of Danfoss.

"Today, the U.S. demand for power modules is mainly driven through Japanese and German imports. With this investment, Danfoss will offer the U.S. market a strong local partner, capable of providing best-in-class packaging technology and high-volume, high-quality manufacturing," says Claus Petersen, general manager and vice president of Danfoss Silicon Power.

SiC power modules can reduce power consumption in electric cars by 10% and the energy consumption in data centers by 5%. In the future, the power modules are also expected to be applied in other sectors like shipping, offshore and hospitals.