Gallox Semiconductors, a Cornell-licensed startup, is pushing the boundaries of power electronics with its gallium oxide-based semiconductor technology — and gaining global recognition in the process. The company recently won the 2025 Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge in the Advanced Computing & Electronics category, affirming the potential of its innovation to power more efficient, compact, and environmentally sustainable devices.
Gallox’s chips could transform sectors such as space tech, aviation, and electric vehicles by replacing silicon carbide with more energy-efficient gallium oxide. As the first company in the world to commercialize this technology, Gallox represents the leading edge of a growing cluster of semiconductor startups emerging from Cornell labs.
Founded by Jon McCandless, Ph.D. ’23, with faculty co-founders Debdeep Jena and Huili Grace Xing, Gallox commercialized research conducted at Cornell and scaled through CTL’s Ignite Fellow for New Ventures program and Praxis Center for Venture Development incubator. With support from the Department of Defense, partnerships like NORDTECH, and access to state-of-the-art facilities such as the Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility, Cornell is cementing its position as a national hub for deep tech innovation in microelectronics.
