Huawei has reportedly obtained a patent for Si IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistors) from China's authorities.

According to China's local media reports, Huawei has been beefing up its R&D team dedicated to automotive power components, and has obtained a patent for its first-generation Si IGBT series.

Huawei has hired several hundred R&D staff as it steps up the development of power semiconductors including MOSFETs, GaN and SiC (silicon carbide) components, in addition to IGBTs, according to the reports.

In addition, Huawei has made an equity investment in DongGuan Tian Yu Semiconductor Technology (TYSiC) recently to further expand its power semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. TYSiC makes 4- and 6-inch SiC epitaxial wafers.

Huawei also has stakes in SiC epi-wafer supplier EpiWorld International, and SiC substrate providers SICC and TankeBlue Semiconductor.