Gilbert (Xiaoyang) Zhou is a remarkable figure in the automotive industry, renowned for his profound expertise and leadership in semiconductors. As President of AccoPower, he is driving the company’s growth and positioning it as a global leader in power semiconductors with a focus on new energy vehicles and industrial applications. Gilbert’s journey is a testament to continuous innovation and a profound commitment to bringing breakthrough solutions to China.
Gilbert’s Journey to Leading AccoPower
Gilbert’s interest in the automotive industry was sparked by Elon Musk’s Tesla Model 3, which pioneered the use of Silicon Carbide (SiC) in its inverter in 2017. This innovation caught the attention of AccoPower’s core team, who saw SiC’s potential to dominate EV inverters. With their rich experience in power semiconductors, particularly SiC, they dedicated themselves to this field and founded AccoPower in late 2018. AccoPower’s core team shared a vision to build a global leader in power semiconductors. With mutual trust and respect, they worked together, valuing their differences. The President adopted a coaching role, fostering growth and innovation. Over six years, it has become a leading company in China’s SiC industry.
Creating a Balance: Long-term Vision with the Fast paced Execution
Accopower’s approach to balancing long-term vision with fast-paced execution in China’s automotive and power systems sector is focused on strategic alignment and adaptability. The company’s long-term vision is to be a global leader in the power semiconductor industry, and it recognizes that fast-paced execution is crucial to achieving this goal.
To balance speed and quality, AccoPower prioritizes continuous innovation, quick development to enshure time to market and sufficent validation. The company also emphasizes risk management, ensuring that the rapid upgrades and innovations are validated through thorough calculation and testing to ensure long-term operational safety.
From Academia to Industry Leadership
Gilbert’s professional journey is a testament to his dedication to the semiconductor industry. With a degree in semiconductor physics and devices from Xi’an Jiaotong University in 1984 and a master’s in IC technology in 1987, Zhou has spent almost 40 years honing his expertise.
His tenure at Intel was pivotal, where he gained invaluable experience in IC assembly and test technology, system and process, leadership skills, and cross-cultural leadership. Notably, his nearly two-year expertise stint in Costa Rica and the Philippines broadened his perspective, educating him on the importance of being open-minded in tech companies. Before Co-founding AccoPower, Gilbert served as the China President of Amkor Technology, leading Amkor’s overall China business and Shanghai site, which had over 5000 employees and overseeing the shipment of 20 million ICs daily. This role defined his leadership skills, particularly in business development, people management, quality management, productivity, and cost improvement.
Leading the Charge: AccoPower’s Vision and Mission
AccoPower’s core vision is to be a global leader in power semiconductors, a goal that the company’s startup core team is passionately working towards. The company’s technological mission is to drive innovation in power electronics, with a focus on leveraging innovation to enhance product quality, performance, and cost. AccoPower aims to contribute significantly to the transformation from Si IGBT to SiC in power electronics.
Emerging Technologies in Power Electronics
Gilbert is enthusiastic about the emerging technologies in power electronics, particularly solid-state transformers, which are poised to replace traditional transformers. This transition is expected to lead to a new generation of highly integrated and highly efficient power electronic devices.
The adoption of wide-band semiconductors is also anticipated to experience significant growth, driven by the increasing of AI data centers. Gilbert sees this as an exciting opportunity, and his company is well-positioned to grow its business and reach the next level.
Digital Innovation in SiC
AccoPower embeds digital innovation across its entire SiC product lifecycle, driving efficiency and excellence. In R&D, the company leverages Automated Modeling, Simulation, and AI Optimization to accelerate material simulation, device modeling, and reliability testing, reducing development cycles while optimizing electrical performance and thermal stability. AI also facilitates exploration of deep technical trends, informing new idea discussions and product development.
In manufacturing, AccoPower is building a smart, data driven production system, utilizing AI for real-time defect detection, predictive maintenance, and process parameter tuning. This digital integration enables improved product consistency, boosted yield, and delivery of high performance SiC solutions meeting automotive-grade and industrial standards.
Remarkable Transformation in the Automotive Industry
China’s automotive industry has undergone a profound transformation over the past decade, shifting from a policy driven to a market-driven growth. The country has established a comprehensive, cost-competitive, and technologically leading new energy vehicle (NEV) industrial chain.
Companies like CATL have emerged as global giants in power batteries, controlling key technologies from materials to systems. China has also built a leading position in electric motors and controls, with companies like Inovance playing pivotal roles.
Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) are becoming mainstream with rapid progress in driving range and fast charging. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs/REEVs) are also gaining traction, with significant sales growth.
Significant Opportunities: China’s Automotive Supply Chain
China’s automotive suppliers and power system innovators have significant opportunities in the localization and premiumization of core electrification components, intelligent add-on components, and supply chain globalization. They can leverage China’s scaled manufacturing, rapid engineering iteration, and complete industrial chain ecosystem to drive growth.
Key areas for growth include developing efficient electric drive systems using silicon carbide power modules and achieving self-sufficiency in automotive-grade MCUs and SiC modules. China’s dynamic market also offers opportunities for rapid iteration and implementation of technologies like LiDAR and autonomous driving domain controllers.
Disrupting Powertrain Architectures: Emerging Technologies
According to Gilbert, emerging technologies like SiC semiconductors and advanced inverter architectures are poised to revolutionize the current electric vehicle powertrain architectures. Breakthroughs in silicon carbide (SiC) substrate growth and production technology, as well as Fab technology/device structure advancing could reduce defect rates and cost, increasing yield and reducing chip costs. This could lead to smaller, more powerful SiC modules, enabling higher power density in motor controllers.
Additionally, the shift from two-level to three-level inverter topologyarchitectures could improve system efficiency by 1.6–2.0%, allowing vehicles to achieve the same range with fewer batteries and reducing motor losses.
SiC Strategy: Balancing Innovation and Cost-Efficiency
AccoPower manages innovation and cost-effectiveness both by focusing on silicon carbide (SiC) modules and developing modularity, focusing on practical innovations, and optimizing product costs. AccoPower develops standardized SiC chip packaging and power control architectures, applying them across its entire product line.
This approach reduces R&D costs and lowers component prices through large-scale production while still allowing enhanced performance.
The company prioritizes cost-effective innovations, optimizing packaging reliability, power density, and thermal conductivity. AccoPower’s premium SiC module features advanced thermal management and real-time performance monitoring, while the modules retain critical functions at an accessible price. The company centralizes production of core SiC module parts and partners with global suppliers for bulk purchases, reducing costs.
The Latest Trends in China’s Automotive Industry
China’s automotive industry is poised for notable growth, driven by the increasing penetration of electric vehicles and hybrid electric vehicles. By the end of 2026, these vehicles are expected to transition towards higher voltage systems, improving cost-effectiveness and performance. The deep integration of AI and software is also reshaping the boundaries of automotive products and the industry.
AccoPower’s Roadmap to Global Dominance
AccoPower is making notable strides in the power semiconductor industry, particularly in silicon carbide power modules. Founded in 2018, the company has established itself as a pioneer in China’s SiC power module market, shipping around 500,000 units to prominent automotive companies like Geely and three other key players in China.
AccoPower’s SiC power modules are designed for various applications, including electric vehicles, industrial automation, and renewable energy systems. Their modules offer high efficiency, reliability, and thermal management, making them an attractive choice for designers looking for high-performance solutions.
The company’s strategic partnerships and investments in research and development have empowered it to stay ahead of the curve. AccoPower’s SiC modules have gained European Union approval to be used in new energy cars shipping to the European Union and are expected to be widely adopted in high-volume manufacturing projects.
