NexiGO raises €2 million for gallium oxide EV semiconductors

NexiGO, a Berlin-based startup, has raised a €2 million pre-seed round to develop Gallium Oxide (Ga₂O₃) power semiconductors for next-generation electric vehicles and broader European power electronics needs. The financing follows the passage of the Chips Act 2.0, which is aimed at strengthening European semiconductor manufacturing independence.

The startup plans to use Gallium Oxide to support higher voltage band gaps and reduce EV charging times to 10 minutes, compared with the current 60-minute average associated with Silicon Carbide or Gallium Nitride. The material is positioned for applications such as charging stations, where ultra-wide bandgap semiconductors are needed to handle large power surges with minimal loss.

NexiGO intends to manufacture Gallium Oxide semiconductors on epitaxial wafers up to 4 inches in size, smaller than the 12-inch format used for traditional logic and memory wafers. Gallium Oxide has a bandgap of roughly 4.8 eV, which enables lower energy loss in power transmission than standard semiconductors under high-voltage conditions.