Next-generation Digital Infrastructure Construction

Next-generation Digital Infrastructure Construction

Project Overview

Increasingly electrified and digitalized society can realize Carbon Neutrality in all fields including manufacturing, services, transportation, and infrastructure. Therefore, the semiconductor/information and communication industries, as a foundation for digitization and electrification, are the key to advancing green and digital initiatives at the same time.

In addition, Power semiconductors are used to control various electrical products related to everyday life, such as automobiles and industrial equipment, electric power generation and railways, and home appliances.
To realize a carbon-neutral society, the energy efficiency of such electric devices is extremely important. Demand is expected to increase with the development of electric and digital technologies in the following areas:
1. Medium-capacity electric vehicles, 2. Large-capacity renewable energy power generation systems, and 3. Power supplies for small-capacity data centers.

Moreover, data flows are increasing rapidly (at an annual rate of approximately 30%), resulting in a steady expansion in the market for data center servers. Because of this rapid increase in large-scale data centers, power consumption for all data centers is expected to increase, and the current pace of technological evolution will not be able to keep pace with increases in power consumption.

The aim of this project, therefore, is by 2030 to: reduce the power loss of next-generation power semiconductors by more than 50%, reduce the cost of such semiconductors to a level similar to that of silicon(Si) power semiconductors, and improve data center efficiency by over 40%.

Project Features

Development of next-generation green power semiconductor technology

The aim of this project is to reduce the power loss of next-generation power semiconductors (SiC, GaN, etc.) by more than 50% and reducing their cost to achieve similar cost levels to those of Si power semiconductors, in order to promote their social implementation in the fields where innovative improvements in energy efficiency are required toward carbon neutrality, such as electric vehicles, electric power generation (e.g., by renewable energy) and server power supplies.

Development of next-generation green data center technology

The aim of this project is to significantly improve the energy efficiency of data centers (i.e., data aggregation hubs) by over 40% through innovative photonics-electronics convergence technology that replaces electrical wiring inside servers with optical wiring.

Project Summary

Budget

Up to 141 billion yen

CO2 Reduction Effect (World)

In 2030
175.6 million tons/year
In 2050
449 million tons/year

Economic Effect (World)

In 2030
Approximately 19 trillion yen
In 2050
Approximately 88 trillion yen

Research and Development Targets

  1. Using next-generation power semiconductors, reduce the level of energy loss in power converters by at least 50%, and, during mass production, realize similar cost levels to those of Si power semiconductors.
  2. Reduce defect density in 8-inch (200mm) SiC wafers by at least one order of magnitude and reduce costs.
  3. Realize energy efficiency of at least 40% compared to data centers in use when R&D begins.

Assumptions regarding estimates of CO2 reduction effect

Power semiconductors

Electric vehicles

  • Estimates of annual CO2 emissions per vehicle calculated on basis of electric vehicles CO2 emissions and average driving distances for vehicles in Japan.
  • Dissemination rate of electric vehicles is expected to be 50% in 2030 and 100% in 2050.
  • Electric vehicles energy loss ratio is expected to be 20% and impact of cutting loss through outcomes realized by this project is expected to be 50%.

Electric power generation (e.g., by renewable energy)

  • Energy loss in power converters used for transmission is expected to be reduced through utilizing offshore wind power as a substitute for thermal power.
  • Capacity of offshore wind power installations in Japan is expected to range from 1.68 GW to 3.68 GW in 2030 and total 45 GW by 2050, and global capacity is expected to reach 234 GW in 2030 and 1,400 GW in 2050.
  • Regarding the facility utilization rate of 33.2% and the average electric power emission coefficient of thermal power of 0.66 kg-CO2/kWh, these figures were used for the GI project “Cost Reductions for Offshore Wind Power Generation.”
  • Energy loss in conventional semiconductor converters is currently 2% and the impact of cutting loss as result of project outcomes is expected to be 50%.

Server power sources

  • Considering the rate of increase in power consumption by data centers around the world since 2019, power consumption in 2030 and 2050 is estimated below.
    Table: Power consumption by data centers within and outside Japan (TWh)
    201920302050
    Japan141843
    World200252612
  • Power sources are expected to account for 25% of energy consumption and the impact of reducing loss through project outcomes is expected to be 50%.

Next-generation green data centers

  • Energy efficiency of 40% are expected to be realized by data centers and the dissemination rate of energy efficiency technologies is expected to be 40% in 2030 and 100% in 2050.
  • CO2 emissions are expected to be reduced through power generation cuts made possible by energy efficiency activities.

Assumptions regarding estimates of economic effect

Power semiconductors

  • For 2050, the estimated market size has been calculated on the assumption that, using the compound annual growth rate (CAGR), the global power semiconductor market totaled approximately 3.2 trillion yen in 2020 and will total 5 trillion yen in 2030.
  • For 2050, the estimated market size has been calculated on the assumption that the average CAGR up to 2050 will be approximately 10%.

Next-generation green data centers

  • In 2019, global investment in data centers totaled US$214.9 billion and Japanese investment totaled US$12.1 billion. By 2025, it is estimated that global investment will grow to US$271.6 billion (at a CAGR of 4%) and Japanese investment will grow to US$13.2 billion (at a CAGR of 1.5%).
  • Estimates based on assumption that global investment will continue to grow at a CAGR of 4% and Japanese investment will also continue increasing at a CAGR of 1.5%.

Project Implementing Entities

[Research and Development 1]
Development of technology for manufacturing next-generation power semiconductor devices

ThemeEntity
Development of 8-inch next-generation SiC MOSFET
  • ROHM Co., Ltd.
Development of SiC modules for next-generation high-voltage power converters
  • ManagerToshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation
  • Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation
Development of technology for manufacturing next-generation power semiconductor devices (for electric vehicle)
  • DENSO CORPORATION
Development of GaN power devices for next-generation high-power density industrial power supplies (servers, telecom, FA, etc.)
  • Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation

[Research and Development 2]
Development of wafer technology for next-generation power semiconductors

ThemeEntity
Development of ultra-high quality and low-cost 8-inch SiC wafers
  • ManagerOXIDE Corporation
  • Mipox Corporation
Development of manufacturing technology for high-quality 8-inch SiC single crystals/wafers
  • Central Glass Co., Ltd.
Development of SiC wafer technology for next-generation green power semiconductors
  • Resonac Corporation

[Research and Development 3]
Development of next-generation green data center technology

ThemeEntity
・Development of optoelectronic technology (development of photonics-electronics convergence devices and optical smart NICs) *1
・Development of high-performance and energy-saving technology for chips and other components compatible with optical interface(development of power-saving CPUs, power-saving accelerators, and broadband SSDs)
・Development of disaggregation technology
*1 NIC : Network Interface Card
  • ManagerFujitsu Limited
  • AIO Core Co., Ltd.
  • Fujitsu Optical Components Limited
  • KYOCERA Corporation
  • NEC Corporation
  • Kioxia Corporation
Development of high-performance and energy-saving technology for chips, etc. compatible with optical interface (development of nonvolatile memory)
  • Zeon Corporation