Navitas sues rival chipmaker Renesas for patent infringement

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.

Spokespeople for Renesas did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Navitas' Monday 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.