Navitas sues rival chipmaker Renesas for patent infringement

Aug. 10 (Reuters) - Chipmaker Navitas NVTS.O sued Japan-based rival Renesas 6723.T in Texas federal court on Monday for allegedly violating its patent rights in next-generation computer chip innovations.

• Torrance, California-based Navitas alleged that Renesas' gallium nitride-based (GaN) semiconductors, which are increasingly used to power AI data centers, infringe four of its GaN patents.
• Navitas' complaint follows a Renesas lawsuit filed last month that accused Navitas and its CEO Christopher Allexandre of stealing Renesas' GaN trade secrets.
• Renesas' July complaint ⁠said the global market for GaN chips is expected to grow from $355 million in 2024 to $3 billion by 2030, largely due to the rapid growth of AI-powered technology.
• A Renesas spokesperson declined to comment on Navitas' lawsuit.
• "We respect valid intellectual property rights and we expect our competitors to do likewise," Allexandre said in a statement.
• Navitas asked the Texas court for an unspecified amount of monetary damages and a court order blocking Renesas from infringing its patents.

The case is Navitas Semiconductor Ireland LLC v. Renesas Electronics Corp, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, No. 2:26-cv-00676.

For Navitas: Michelle Armond, Douglas Wilson and Monica Arnold of Armond Wilson

For Renesas: attorney information not yet available