Silvaco & APEC Forge SiC Pact to Power EV and Green Tech Boom

By Christine Carter

SANTA CLARA, CA – March 30, 2026 – In a move poised to accelerate the development of next-generation power electronics, software provider Silvaco Group, Inc. and Taiwanese device manufacturer Advanced Power Electronics Corp. (APEC) have announced a significant expansion of their strategic partnership. The collaboration centers on APEC’s long-term commitment to deploy Silvaco’s advanced simulation software, a critical step aimed at speeding up the design of high-performance silicon carbide (SiC) power devices.

This deepened alliance arrives at a pivotal moment for the semiconductor industry. Silicon carbide is rapidly becoming the material of choice for high-power applications, fueling a market projected to surge from roughly $1.5 billion in 2024 to over $10 billion by 2033. The partnership between a key design software enabler and a dedicated device developer highlights the intense innovation race to meet the soaring demand from the electric vehicle, renewable energy, and industrial sectors.

The Silicon Carbide Imperative

For decades, silicon has been the undisputed workhorse of the electronics world. However, its physical limitations are becoming a bottleneck in the global push for greater energy efficiency. This is where wide-bandgap materials like silicon carbide come into play. SiC devices can handle higher voltages, switch on and off much faster, and operate at higher temperatures than their silicon counterparts, all while losing significantly less energy as heat.

These advantages are not merely incremental; they are transformative. In the automotive sector, which accounts for over 60% of the SiC market, these devices are a cornerstone of the electric vehicle revolution. SiC-based inverters—the components that convert DC power from the battery to AC power for the motor—can increase an EV’s range by more than 20% or allow manufacturers to use smaller, lighter, and less expensive battery packs. Furthermore, SiC enables the industry's shift to 800-volt architectures, drastically reducing charging times from hours to under 40 minutes. Beyond EVs, SiC is essential for high-efficiency solar inverters that harvest more energy from the sun and for compact, reliable power supplies in data centers and industrial automation.

However, harnessing SiC's potential is fraught with technical challenges. The material is incredibly hard—second only to diamond—and brittle, making wafer manufacturing and processing difficult and costly. Achieving high-quality crystal growth without performance-killing defects is a complex, high-temperature process. Moreover, the reliability of the gate oxide layer, a critical part of the SiC transistor, remains a significant hurdle for mass production. These difficulties make the traditional design-build-test cycle of semiconductor development prohibitively slow and expensive.

Forging a Competitive Edge with Digital Twins

This is precisely the problem the Silvaco-APEC partnership aims to solve. By expanding its use of Silvaco’s software suite—including Victory Device for 2D simulation, Gateway for integration, and SmartSpice for circuit analysis—APEC is embracing a “digital twin” approach to semiconductor design. Instead of fabricating countless physical prototypes, APEC’s engineers can now create highly accurate virtual models of their SiC devices.

These simulations allow them to explore complex device physics, test performance under extreme conditions, and optimize designs for maximum efficiency and reliability before ever entering a cleanroom. This process, known as Design Technology Co-Optimization (DTCO), creates a powerful feedback loop between process development and circuit design, dramatically shortening the development cycle and reducing costs.

"Silvaco's solutions are an integral part of our design flow, enabling us to explore complex device physics and optimize our SiC technologies," said Dr. CS Chang, President of APEC, in the official announcement. "The combination of Victory Device, Gateway, and SmartSpice provides us with a comprehensive solution that bridges the gap between process development and circuit design, allowing us to deliver superior silicon carbide power solutions to our customers."

A Strategic Synergy in a Concentrated Market

The decision by APEC to double down on its collaboration with Silvaco is a calculated strategic move in a fiercely competitive market. The SiC power device landscape is highly concentrated, with industry giants like STMicroelectronics, Infineon, Wolfspeed, and Onsemi controlling over 90% of the market share. For a company like APEC, competing requires not just manufacturing prowess but also agility and a rapid pace of innovation.

By leveraging advanced simulation tools, APEC can accelerate its time-to-market, allowing it to carve out a stronger position and respond more quickly to the evolving demands of its customers in the automotive and industrial fields. This partnership strengthens APEC's ability to develop cutting-edge products that can compete on performance and reliability.

For Silvaco, the expanded agreement with a dedicated power device developer like APEC reinforces its position as a critical technology provider in the booming power electronics sector. It serves as a powerful validation of its software's capabilities in tackling the unique challenges of SiC design.

"APEC’s commitment to our solutions demonstrates the critical role that advanced TCAD and EDA solutions play in accelerating power device innovation," noted Ian Chen, Chief Revenue Officer at Silvaco Group. "We look forward to supporting APEC as they push the boundaries of silicon carbide power device technology."

Powering a More Sustainable Future

While the partnership is rooted in complex semiconductor physics and market strategy, its ultimate impact extends to consumers and global sustainability goals. The faster development of more efficient SiC devices directly translates into tangible benefits. It means future electric vehicles that can travel farther on a single charge, renewable energy systems that operate more efficiently to lower the cost of clean power, and industrial motors that consume less electricity.

As the world races to decarbonize and improve energy efficiency, the underlying technology enabling this transition is often hidden deep within the electronic systems that power our lives. The collaboration between Silvaco and APEC is a prime example of the foundational innovation required to build this greener future, one highly optimized virtual transistor at a time. The advancements made in simulation labs today will directly shape the performance and accessibility of the sustainable technologies of tomorrow.