NXP Brings GaN to 5G Multi-Chip Modules for Energy-Efficient Mobile Networks

NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ: NXPI) today announced a major industry milestone for 5G energy efficiency with the integration of Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology to its multi-chip module platform. Building on the company’s investment in its GaN fab in Arizona, the most advanced fab dedicated to RF power amplifiers in the United States, NXP is the first to announce RF solutions for 5G massive MIMO that combine the high efficiency of GaN with the compactness of multi-chip modules. Reducing energy consumption is a major goal for telecom infrastructure, where every point of efficiency counts. The use of GaN in multi-chip modules increases lineup efficiency to 52% at 2.6 GHz—8 percentage points higher than the company’s previous module generation. And NXP has further improved performance with a proprietary combination of LDMOS and GaN in a single device, delivering 400 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth that makes it possible to design wideband radios with a single power amplifier.