The ESCAPE project, a £20m (US$25m) consortium focused on developing an end-to-end supply chain for silicon carbide (SiC) power electronics, showcased its findings at a demonstration event last week at the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult (CSA-C) in Newport, Wales.
Hosted by leading partners McLaren Applied and CSA-C, the event highlighted the achievements of this national supply chain initiative.
Funded by Innovate UK and the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC), ESCAPE (End-to-end Supply Chain development for Automotive Power Electronics) aims to establish a cohesive supply chain for SiC power electronics to meet growing demand from UK and global users.
The project‘s partners include McLaren Applied Technologies, Clas-SiC Wafer Fab, Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, the University of Warwick, and others.
The demonstration event showcased the transition from research breakthroughs to tangible innovations. Attendees expressed excitement about the project’s potential to transform the SiC power electronics landscape.
The automotive electronics systems initiative AESIN played an important role in providing input and guidance through the Industrial Strategy Group (ISG) and participating in key conferences like Cenex LCV.
Gunny Dhadyalla, director of AESIN, said, “The project partners have achieved a huge amount and accelerated the supply chain capabilities in the UK for SiC. AESIN is proud to be working with industry partners and be able to contribute to shaping the future of this transformative technology.”
Joe Dobson, project delivery lead at the Advanced Propulsion Centre UK (APC), added, “The ESCAPE project was established to create an end-to-end silicon carbide power electronics supply chain in the UK.
“The work that the partners have completed throughout the project has laid the foundation for a thriving, strategically important sector where the UK can carve out a global niche. There is an exciting opportunity for next-stage projects to build upon this, further solidifying the UK as a leader in high-performance power electronics.”