Hydrogen for the energy transition – sensors, power electronics and intelligent control make the difference

WBG semiconductors are regarded as an important building block for the hydrogen economy, because in electrolysers, converters and fuel cell systems they combine high voltages, fast switching and compact designs with lower losses. Current trends range from stronger integration into medium- and high-power converters through bidirectional power electronics to modular, scalable platforms for electrolysis and reconversion to electricity. In the context of the energy transition in particular, higher efficiency and higher power density are important, because every avoided power loss reduces electricity demand, simplifies cooling and improves the cost-effectiveness of green hydrogen.

Three trends are currently driving development in SiC and GaN power electronics: first, ever more powerful SiC modules for electrolysers and grid connections are coming onto the market, combining high voltages with lower switching losses. Second, GaN devices are gaining importance in compact, high-frequency converters, for example in auxiliary units and control stages of hydrogen systems. Third, manufacturers are relying more strongly on integrated, modularly scalable designs in order to improve cooling, maintenance effort and installation space across the entire chain from generation to reconversion. In the hydrogen context in particular, these advances are important because every efficiency gain reduces electricity demand and thus increases the cost-effectiveness of green molecules.

Integrated sensors and IoT-capable semiconductor solutions are becoming the backbone for safe, efficient and scalable processes in the hydrogen economy: they monitor generation, storage, transport and use in real time and supply data for condition diagnostics, leak detection and predictive maintenance. Current technology trends are high-precision H₂, pressure, temperature and humidity sensors, more robust semiconductors for harsh environments, low-energy edge and IoT connectivity, and stronger integration of sensors directly into valves, tanks, electrolysers and fuel cell systems.

At semiconductor level, compact, low-energy and robust solutions are currently to the fore for integrated sensors and IoT capability. Particularly in demand are MEMS-based H₂ sensors, multi-sensor approaches for pressure, temperature and gas composition, and monolithically integrated read-out circuits that bring measurement and data processing closer together. In parallel, optical measurement methods are gaining importance, because they can be implemented smaller, more cheaply and with better connectivity using CMOS technologies. For electrolysers, storage and fuel cells, resilient semiconductor materials, edge computing and secure connectivity are also coming into focus, so that hydrogen plants can be monitored in real time, controlled more efficiently and integrated into the industrial IoT.

Energy-efficient chip architectures and designs with extremely low power consumption ensure that electrolysers, fuel cells, sensors and controls work reliably even when decentralised, connected and operating on tight energy budgets. In the generation and use of hydrogen in particular, every watt-hour saved counts, because the technology depends on precise control and minimal internal losses along the entire chain from plant monitoring to power electronics.

The most important trends include ultra-low-power microcontrollers, specialised edge and AI accelerators for local data processing, energy-adaptive architectures with dynamic voltage and frequency management, and system-on-chip solutions with integrated security and sensor technology. The semiconductor industry offers, for example, ultra-low-power microcontrollers and SoCs with aggressive power gating for sensor and control tasks. FD-SOI platforms also enable improved power management: fully depleted silicon on insulator uses a very thin silicon film on an insulating oxide layer. This design improves the electrostatic control of the gate over the channel, reduces short-channel effects and significantly lowers leakage currents, because the transistor is fully depleted in the active state. In addition, in-memory computing approaches strongly reduce data movement. Added to this are new architectural ideas such as vertical transistor stacks, neuromorphic concepts and cryogenic switching logic for special applications. In parallel, research is working on memory solutions based on hafnium oxide that bring computing closer to memory and significantly reduce energy demand.

For the hydrogen context, the low leakage currents, better local data processing and more efficient power electronics are particularly interesting, because they make control, monitoring and converter technology more economical. What is currently discussed most strongly is therefore more performance per watt, more intelligence at the edge and fewer losses through shorter data and energy paths.

Advanced assembly and interconnection technologies at chip level are relevant for the hydrogen economy above all because they make power electronics, control and sensors more compact, more efficient and more robust. In electrolysers, fuel cells and hydrogen peripherals, it is about more precise control, lower losses and higher system availability, particularly where energy conversion and load changes interact. The most important trends include chiplet architectures, 2.5D and 3D integration, hybrid bonding, and closer coupling of power and logic chips in one package. This allows functions to be moved closer together, which shortens signal paths and improves the efficiency of modern hydrogen systems. In addition, the chiplet approach is a flexible, scalable route to faster market launch, higher first-silicon success rates and lower development costs.

In the semiconductor industry, chiplet-based platforms, 2.5D interposers and true 3D stacks are currently to the fore, because they improve computing power, power density and energy efficiency at the same time. Concrete innovations are hybrid bonding with considerably finer interconnect pitches, advanced thermal and warpage management, and closer coupling of logic, memory and power components in a shared assembly. In addition, optical data transmission directly in the package is gaining weight, because classic electrical connections are reaching their limits in bandwidth and consumption.