I-Pulse Secures $250 Million CHIPS Award to Advance Silicon Carbide Semiconductor and Geothermal Technologies

I-Pulse Co-founders Robert Friedland, CEO, and Laurent Frescaline, CTO, announced a definitive agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s CHIPS Research and Development Office for a $250 million award for the further development of I-Pulse’s proprietary semiconductor and pulsed power technology.

“With today’s announced investment, the Trump administration is strengthening America’s capabilities and enhancing its national and energy security goals,” said Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.

Co-founder Robert Friedland said, “We are excited to partner with the U.S. government to advance our unique, American technology suite to benefit our great nation. This award supports the development of world-leading critical components in the pulsed power technology stack, with profound implications for energy security and national defence.”

The CHIPS award strengthens U.S. supply chain resilience by boosting domestic semiconductor manufacturing and reducing reliance on foreign-made semiconductors. The I-Pulse program will deliver on key CHIPS Act goals and initiatives: furthering American semiconductor research, strengthening domestic production capabilities, cultivating a local semiconductor workforce, and delivering commercialised products that directly enhance America’s global technology leadership.

The CHIPS award provides funding for R&D to advance I-Pulse’s American program, which develops high-temperature, high-performance semiconductor components. I-Pulse’s proprietary semiconductor and pulsed power drilling technology will unlock significant untapped resources of geothermal power within the United States, leveraging domestic supply chains, technology, and world-leading expertise.

I-Pulse will develop silicon-carbide semiconductors in partnership with United States national laboratories, universities, and specialised manufacturers. The company’s advanced research and development program will commercialise cutting-edge, high-temperature, high-current, high-voltage solid-state switches. These switches have a multitude of applications, including underground mining, rock crushing, manufacturing, and defence systems.

I-Pulse’s silicon-carbide switches will enable unparalleled drilling performance in high-temperature rock conditions. Proprietary high-temperature semiconductors and capacitors are required for our disruptive geothermal drilling technology. I-Pulse employs high-voltage switches to apply extremely high-power electrical pulses to hot granites and other geothermal formations. These powerful electrical pulses fracture and soften the rock ahead of the drill bit, multiplying drilling speed and vastly extending the life of the drill bit. I-Pulse’s proprietary components will be assembled in our drilling platform to deliver massively reduced drilling costs, enabling the next generation of advanced geothermal power plants in America’s massive hot, dry granite formations. Advanced geothermal power plants are desperately needed for base-load, 24/7, secure, low-cost power for our growing fleet of data centres and domestic industrial efforts. I-Pulse’s geothermal activities will be conducted by its subsidiary G-Pulse as well as various subsidiaries in the United States. Compared to the intermittency of solar and wind power, the heat from the Earth is ever-present and harnessing it efficiently will change everything.