Currently, the company relies upon third-party electronics manufacturing service providers to make its universal charger (USB-C and USB). There’s something big the company anticipates will happen when its manufacturing opens up
PowerICs will set up a manufacturing facility for Gallium Nitride (GaN) based chargers for intelligent electronics. Sai Srinivas Vavilala, CEO at PowerICS, shared the same in an exclusive conversation with Electronics B2B during their first universal charger launch.
“Our aim is to start manufacturing during the first few months of the year 2025. Till then, there would be more than enough tests and validations for our products,” he said.
Currently, the company is relying upon third-party electronics manufacturing service providers to make its universal charger. According to the CEO, this charger can simultaneously charge a laptop and a smartphone.
He pointed towards smaller size and “20X” energy efficiency as the main reasons PowerICs chose GAN. “We will mostly play around GaN only,” he said.
Future Market Insights has projected the global GaN-powered chargers market to witness a growth in revenue from $694.4 million in 2021 to $4.96 billion by 2031. The interest in GaN-powered chargers has been piqued in the last few years due to wireless and connected electronic devices and technology improvements.
The USB-C Law
Notably, the European Union has mandated support of USB-C charging for devices sold in the region starting December 27, 2024. Similarly, the Government of India has also done the same and set March 2025 as the deadline.
Srinivas believes the move will create a win-win for the ecosystem, including PowerICS chargers. “We anticipate most of our sales coming from the aftermarket for at least the next year. Things might change starting 2025,” he said.
Starting 2025, as the law kicks in, in India, EU, and many other parts of the world, Srinivas also expects collaborations with device OEMs. He said, “We have entered discussions with a few, but things are in the early stages of being revealed.”
On the international front, he also expects the sales to increase in the long run. “It is the cost factor that will pull a lot of international clients towards us,” he explained. Next on the company’s drawing board is a GaN-based electric vehicle charger.
Srinivas does not shy away from saying that most of the components used in charger manufacturing are being imported. However, he is hopeful that as the electronics components ecosystem develops in India, the company will be able to source more from within.
“We have developed the same with Moschip and Transphorm and are proud that the IP of this product is Indian,” he said.
The company claims that its first 65W PD GaN Charger is 50% smaller than conventional chargers, has 20% less energy waste, and has 2x power density. It can charge any electronic device featuring a USB-C or a USB port.
“It talks to the devices and only allows the required amount of electricity to flow. It is one of the smartest chargers in India at the moment,” he said.
According to EMR, the size of the India GAN chargers market will reach approximately $31.93 million in 2023. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 23% between 2024 and 2032, reaching a value of around $207.55 million by 2032.
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