Semiconductors, Data Centers & AI

Robots take on a multitude of forms, each with technologies that make them best suited to their own specific environments, either working independently or in the company of humans. This article covers cobots, service robots, humanoids, drones, and in-vehicle AI assistants.

The transition to 800V in electric vehicles has accelerated the commercialization of wide bandgap semiconductors, and has led to increased vehicle range, faster charging, and greater e-powertrain efficiency. AI data centers are being pushed to ever-increasing power ratings to support future generations of AI training and inference. Drawing inspiration directly from EV power electronics, the data center industry is working to develop the HVDC (800VDC) data center, enabled by wide bandgap power electronics innovations.

In December 2025, American semiconductor and technology giant Marvell acquired Celestial AI in a deal worth US$3.25bn. This is part of a flurry of activity in the wider photonics space, with NVIDIA investing $2bn each in Coherent and Lumentum, and IDTechEx's recent industry and technology report - "Silicon Photonics and Photonic Integrated Circuits 2026-2036: Technologies, Markets, and Forecasts" - indicates that 2026 is seeing explosive growth in the photonics industry driven primarily by AI interconnect demands.

The rise in demand for data center usage in line with increasing high-performance computing and AI applications can create negative environmental effects. This article covers solutions to increasing sustainability surrounding data centers, and battery storage technologies that can remove some reliance on energy from fossil fuels.

Join IDTechEx Technology Analyst Matthew Fall on Thursday 21 May for this expert-led webinar, "The 1MW Rack Challenge: Redesigning Data Center Power Delivery for the AI Era". Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times in one day.

The world of vehicle autonomy is made possible with intelligent sensing and radar capabilities that can improve the safety of cars and make for smoother journeys. This article covers the various components of autonomous vehicles, including in-cabin sensing, software and the integration of AI, and radar technology.

In this brief video IDTechEx analyst Matthew Fall assesses Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) semiconductor materials, which are used for power electronics in data centers, renewables and electric vehicles.

Helium is a finite resource and critical for several applications, including semiconductor manufacturing. With Qatar producing a third of the world's helium supply, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East has created a major supply chain bottleneck for industries critically reliant on helium. This article from IDTechEx looks at the critical role of helium in the semiconductor industry, Qatar's position in the helium supply chain, and what this means for semiconductor manufacturing. The article also discusses alternatives for helium supply and potential mitigation strategies.

Join IDTechEx Technology Analyst Shihao Fu on Thursday 30th April for the expert-led webinar, "Humanoid Robots in Industry: Market Readiness, ROI, and 10-Year Outlook". Choose your preferred time zone - the webinar runs three times in one day.