This global prize, valued at €1 million, recognises Professor Baliga's leadership in the invention, development, and commercialisation of the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT). Since its inception in the 1980s, the IGBT has played a pivotal role in enhancing energy efficiency and reducing emissions, transforming the power industry. Over the last 40 years, it has been instrumental in decreasing global carbon dioxide emissions by over 82 gigatonnes—equivalent to offsetting all human activity emissions for three years, based on 30-year averages.
Professor Baliga's innovation is central to the global shift towards renewable energy, facilitating efficient electrification and enabling profitable sustainable solutions. IGBT-based technology is widely used in wind and solar power installations to convert energy into usable electricity for both consumer and industrial purposes. It also forms a crucial component in electric and hybrid vehicles, as well as in many electrical motors across various industries.
The IGBT's influence extends beyond the energy sector. It has revolutionised medical equipment such as X-ray machines, CAT scanners, and MRI units, as well as everyday household appliances like microwave ovens and induction cookers. It is also used in air conditioning, refrigeration systems, and portable defibrillators, which save countless lives each year. With IGBT-based power converters and inverters now powering applications ranging from 1kW to 10MW, its impact is widespread.
“It is very exciting to have been selected for this great honor. I am particularly happy that the Millennium Technology Prize will bring attention to my innovation, as the IGBT is an embedded technology that is hidden from the eyes of society. It has enabled a vast array of products that have improved the comfort, convenience, and health of billions of people around the world while reducing carbon dioxide emissions to mitigate global warming. Informing the public of this impactful innovation will illustrate the betterment of humanity by modern technology," said Professor Bantval Jayant Baliga.
In 2016, Forbes Magazine named Professor Baliga as the individual with the world’s largest negative carbon footprint when he was inducted into the Inventors Hall of Fame. Currently, he and his team are working on two new innovations aimed at further advancing solar power, electric vehicles, and power delivery systems for AI servers.
“My first recent invention, the Baliga Short-circuit Improvement Concept (BaSIC), is designed to eliminate the roadblock of poor short-circuit withstand time for Silicon Carbide power MOSFETs used in motor drives for industrial and electric vehicle applications," explained Baliga. "My second new invention, a Bi-Directional Field-Effect Transistor (BiDFET), enables the matrix converter for power electronic applications. Matrix converters offer unprecedented improvements in size, efficiency, and reliability when compared with existing voltage source inverters. This will have a revolutionary impact on power delivery and management according to power electronics experts.”
Professor Minna Palmroth, Chair of the Board of Technology Academy Finland, the foundation awarding the prize, said: “The IGBT has already had and continues to have a major impact on supporting sustainability with improved living standards world-wide, while mitigating environmental impact. The main solution to tackle global warming is electrification and moving to renewable energy. The IGBT is the key enabling technology in addressing these issues.
“I am particularly happy that the prize illuminates an innovation that is at the same time absolutely critical, has an enormous impact, but is not known to the vast majority of people. I think it is a great way to emphasize the power of science and innovation."
Professor Päivi Törmä, Chair of the International Selection Committee of the Millennium Technology Prize, said: “Two thirds of the electricity in the world is used to run motors in consumer and industrial applications. Professor Baliga’s innovation has allowed us to develop societies with electricity efficiently, while dramatically reducing energy consumption.
“Power electronics is a key enabling technology of any modern society in which automation of processes and energy systems plays an ever-increasing role. For the last 40 years, and still today, the IGBT is the most important power semiconductor device.”
The Millennium Technology Prize will be awarded to Professor Baliga in a ceremony in Finland on 30th October, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of the prize. The ceremony will be presided over by the President of Finland and streamed globally by Finnish broadcaster Yle.
