Two of the fastest climbers in the power-chip world are squaring off in court. Wolfspeed, the Durham-based maker of silicon carbide power devices, has filed a patent-infringement lawsuit accusing Navitas Semiconductor and three affiliates of copying what it calls core wide-bandgap technologies that underpin electric vehicles and power infrastructure. The case, lodged in federal court in Delaware, targets a wide range of Navitas GaN and SiC products and asks a judge to halt sales of the accused chips, setting up a high-stakes fight over technology many in the industry treat as foundational.
What Wolfspeed alleges
According to Wolfspeed, the complaint asserts infringement of U.S. Patent Nos. 8,169,005; 10,998,418; 10,886,396; 10,749,443; and 11,888,392. The filing points to Navitas product families such as GaNFast®, GaNSlim™, GaNSafe®, GeneSiC™ MOSFETs and SiCPAK® modules as allegedly running afoul of those patents.
Wolfspeed casts the case as a defensive move to protect years of internal work. CEO Robert Feurle said, “Wolfspeed’s foundational technology helped create this industry.” The company says it chose the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware as the venue to enforce what it describes as a substantial intellectual-property portfolio in wide-bandgap semiconductors.
Navitas pushes back
In a response, Navitas flatly rejected the allegations and said it will “vigorously defend itself and its products” in court, adding that it expects to prevail. The Torrance, Calif., company highlighted its own patent holdings and told investors it remains focused on executing its growth strategy, while declining to get into specifics on pending litigation.
Local coverage and market reaction
The Triangle Business Journal flagged the suit and emphasized Wolfspeed’s Durham headquarters, underscoring how a global semiconductor dispute is hitting close to home for the Triangle’s tech scene.
Wall Street also took notice. Investing.com reported that Navitas shares fell roughly 7 percent in morning trading after the lawsuit was filed. Wolfspeed, for its part, framed the action as a step meant to protect shareholder value. Trade publications quickly picked up the story, signaling that suppliers of GaN and SiC power devices are watching the case closely.
Why these patents matter
Gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) are wide-bandgap semiconductor materials that have become prized in power electronics because they can deliver higher efficiency and faster switching in applications such as EV chargers, inverters and data-center power supplies. Control over key intellectual property in these technologies helps determine who wins lucrative automotive and infrastructure contracts, and patent fights have become more common as the market heats up.
Industry coverage from Compound Semiconductor and Semiconductor Today has walked through the patents named in the complaint and the Navitas product lines Wolfspeed claims are affected, underscoring the potential reach of any eventual ruling or settlement.
Legal remedies and next steps
In U.S. patent practice, a rights-holder can seek monetary damages in federal court and may also ask for injunctive relief that could restrict future sales of products found to infringe. Separately, many companies run a parallel track at the U.S. International Trade Commission, which can issue exclusion orders that block importation of infringing goods.
The ITC and the federal courts follow different procedures and timelines, and outcomes can range from licensing deals and product redesigns to orders that keep specific products out of the U.S. market. For a deeper look at how exclusion orders work and what remedies are available, see guidance from the U.S. International Trade Commission.
For now, the Wolfspeed-Navitas case is on the Delaware docket, and the companies’ carefully worded public statements point to a contested, potentially drawn-out legal battle. The court record and future filings will show how aggressively each side presses its arguments and what is ultimately at stake for their competing power-chip portfolios.
