Electronics · Recorded milestone
Power transistors (IGBT)
Recorded year1983
GE's insulated-gate bipolar transistor, later joined by SiC and GaN chips, switches high power for motors, inverters and grids.
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- TransistorRecorded · 1947enables
- MOSFETRecorded · 1959enables
Led to
- Mass-market hybrid carRecorded · 1997enables
- Modern electric carRecorded · 2008enables
- EV fast chargingRecorded · 2009enables
- Floating wind turbinesRecorded · 2009requires
- Mass-produced solarRecorded · 2010enables
- Silicon carbide power chipsRecorded · 2011enables
- Grid-scale batteriesRecorded · 2017enables
- Roads that charge vehiclesRecorded · 2021enables
- Cars that power the gridRecorded · 2024enables
- Megawatt multi-vendor grid-forming test programRecorded · 2024alternative
- Electric air taxisRecorded · 2025enables
- Largest electric aircraft fliesRecorded · 2026enables
- Solid-state transformersForecast · ~2028enables
- Ultra-efficient room ACForecast · ~2029enables
- Electric regional aircraftForecast · ~2031enables
- Heat pumps standardForecast · ~2035enables
- Continental supergridForecast · ~2036enables
- Superconducting maglev lineForecast · ~2038requires
- Tidal and wave power at scaleForecast · ~2038requires
- Cars that charge in secondsForecast · ~2061requires
Sources & evidence
Dataset updated 2026-10-18. This individual record has not been separately re-reviewed.