IGBT pioneer awarded €1m Millennium Technology Prize

Awarded by Technology Academy Finland, the €1m global award for technology beneficial to humankind recognises Baliga’s leadership in the invention, development, and commercialisation of IGBTs.

Since its development in the 1980s, the IGBT - a power semiconductor device that combines a bipolar power transistor with a MOS structure and an insulated gate terminal - has made electrical energy use and petrol consumption more efficient and less polluting. The technology is said to have reduced global carbon dioxide emissions by over 82 gigatons in the past 30 years.

For the green transition and efforts towards net zero, Professor Baliga’s innovation is making electrification and the use of renewable energy efficient and profitable with all wind and solar power installations utilising IGBT-based technology to convert the generated electricity into a form that is suitable for consumer and industrial applications. The IGBT is an essential technology also in electric and hybrid-electric cars, plus most other electric motors in consumer and industrial use.