Intel Foundry Achieves Breakthrough with World's Thinnest GaN Chiplet Technology

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Apr. 13, 2026 –

Highlights

• Intel Foundry has created the world's thinnest gallium nitride (GaN) chiplet — its base silicon measuring just 19 micrometers (μm) thick — harvested from a 300 millimeter (mm) GaN-on-silicon wafer.¹
• Researchers have successfully combined GaN transistors with traditional silicon-based digital circuits on a single chip, allowing complex computing functions to be built directly into power chiplets without needing separate companion chiplets.
• Rigorous testing confirms that this new GaN chiplet technology is a promising candidate that can meet the reliability standards required for real-world deployment — enabling smaller, more efficient electronics for applications ranging from data centers to next-generation 5G and 6G communications.

Researchers at Intel Foundry have demonstrated a first-of-its-kind GaN chiplet technology built on 300 mm GaN-on-silicon wafers, marking a significant leap forward in semiconductor design. Presented at the 2025 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM), this work tackles one of the most pressing challenges in modern computing: how to deliver more power, speed, and efficiency in an increasingly compact space. To meet the demand of graphics processors, servers, and wireless networks for ever-greater performance, the Intel Foundry team developed an ultra-thin GaN chiplet — its base silicon measuring just 19 μm thick, roughly one-fifth the width of a human hair — along with the industry's first fully monolithic on-die digital control circuits, all built using a single integrated manufacturing process.

The demand for this innovation stems from a fundamental tension in modern electronics: the need to pack more capability into tighter spaces while simultaneously handling higher power loads and faster data speeds. Traditional silicon-based technologies are approaching their physical limits, and the industry has been looking to alternative materials like GaN to bridge the gap. Intel Foundry combines the ultra-thin GaN chiplet with on-die digital control circuits — eliminating the need for a separate companion chiplet and reducing the energy lost routing signals between components. Comprehensive reliability testing further demonstrates that this platform is a promising candidate for a real-world product.

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