China’s supercooling tech packs 40% more punch into chips used in military radar

Chinese scientists have unlocked a revolutionary supercooling innovation in semiconductor technology, paving the way for a 40 per cent leap in the performance of gallium nitride-based radar systems, which are widely used in China’s most advanced stealth aircraft.

The new Chinese-made chips can handle extreme power loads in the X and Ka bands – frequencies critical for advanced radar systems, satellite communications and next-generation wireless computer networks.

“This is the most significant breakthrough in this field in nearly two decades,” northwest China’s Xidian University said on social media on Tuesday.

Zhou Hong, the project leader at the university, noted that the technology significantly improved the detection range of the radar equipment without increasing the size of the chip. He added that when applied to mobile networks, it provided wider signal coverage and cut power costs.

This innovation will help consolidate China’s dominance in third-generation gallium nitride semiconductor technology and future chips, according to the university, a leading institution for electronic warfare technology.

Chinese stealth aircraft such as the J-20 and J-35 use gallium nitride-based radars, allowing them to see farther than their US rivals such as the F-22, which uses older technology. The US military is upgrading the F-35 with gallium nitride radars, but it will not be complete until 2031 – a five-year delay from its original timeline.

South China Morning Post