Skyworks Opens Sampling for Si829x Gate Driver Targeting EV Traction Inverters

Skyworks Solutions has shifted its Si829x isolated safety gate driver into pre-production release, a step that puts evaluation samples in the hands of customers working on EV traction inverters. The component, which the company first showed off in June, has now cleared AEC-Q100 automotive qualification, clearing a key hurdle for parts destined for under-hood duty.

The Si829x is designed to work with both SiC FETs and IGBTs, giving inverter designers flexibility across silicon carbide and legacy insulated-gate bipolar transistor architectures. Rather than relying on conventional voltage-mode gate drive, Skyworks employs ProVCD, its second-generation variable current drive technology. In the company’s own bench testing, ProVCD is said to have trimmed switching losses by as much as 44% versus voltage-mode approaches, a figure that matters for efficiency and thermal management in high-power traction systems.

Supporting documentation is being released under NDA and spans a datasheet, technical reference manual, functional safety manual and application notes. Skyworks has also rolled out two evaluation board kits alongside companion GUI software and complex device driver (CDD) software, giving engineers a fairly complete starting point rather than a bare component.

In a statement, Mario Battello, Vice President of Product Line Management at Skyworks, framed the Si829x as offering customers a qualified path from evaluation to advanced prototypes. He said the ProVCD platform pairs software-configurable performance with the safety, isolation and design flexibility needed to standardize inverter designs across EVs, eVTOL aircraft and eAgriculture applications, while also speeding development for high-power motor uses such as datacenter cooling and AI power supplies.

Gate drivers are a small but consequential element in traction inverter design, sitting between the control logic and the power switches. Improving switching behavior at that layer can ripple through efficiency, heat generation and package size. For now, Skyworks is positioning the part as sample-ready, with full production timing tied to customer qualification cycles.