onsemi and Sungrow Advance Utility-Scale Energy Storage Performance with SiC Hybrid Technology - Macau Business

The onsemi-Sungrow SiC hybrid partnership is less a product announcement than a value-chain anchoring event. The word "hybrid" is the tell: at utility scale, the cost function still favors Si-IGBT as the workhorse, with SiC handling high-frequency switching loss optimization. This makes 6-inch substrate capacity (TankeBlue, SICC) more immediately binding than 8-inch, and full-SiC architectures have not yet cleared the TCO threshold. Geopolitically, a US-listed semiconductor firm locking design-wins with a top-3 Chinese PCS maker sits in BIS export-control gray space. SiC power devices are not currently Entity-List restricted, but a 2025 BIS expansion covering "energy-infrastructure power semiconductors" would force compliance restructuring. For Sungrow, this is supply-disruption hedging; for onsemi, a structural lock-in to the world's largest storage market. Competitive response: Infineon (Kulim 8-inch) and ST (Catania) will accelerate 8-inch SiC ramp to compress the cost curve. The more direct threat is Huawei Digital Power and Delta's vertically integrated SiC modules. 12-24 month call: SiC penetration in utility PCS jumps from roughly 15% to 35%+. Hybrid topology crushes full-SiC on TCO. China's 15%+ forced storage mandate on new renewables creates a structural demand floor. The long tail: semiconductor-system vertical coupling compresses mid-tier PCS margins, accelerating industry consolidation.