The Triangle Finnish Association (TFA) and Duke University will host a special event next week in honor of B. Jayant Baliga, the Progress Energy Distinguished University Professor Emeritus of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NC State. 

Baliga earned Finland’s 2024 Millennium Technology Prize for his invention, development and commercialization of the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), an energy-saving semiconductor switch he invented in 1980 as a researcher at General Electric. Finland’s president, Alexander Stubb, presented Baliga the award on Oct. 30 during a ceremony at Aalto University. The award, which comes with a €1 million prize, is the most prestigious international honor focused on recognizing technological innovation.

The TFA is inviting friends and colleagues to celebrate Baliga’s achievement at Duke University’s Schiciano Auditorium on Tuesday, April 29, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Baliga will deliver remarks and answer questions, and refreshments will be served.

About Baliga and the IGBT

Since his arrival at NC State in 1988, Baliga has helped position the university as a leader in semiconductor research and development. Most recently, NC State was named the lead on the Commercial Leap Ahead for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors (CLAWS) hub, one of eight Microelectronics Commons regional innovation hubs established by the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) and Science Act. In September, the White House and Department of Defense announced the first year of funding, totaling $19 million, for four additional projects managed by CLAWS.

Baliga’s IGBT controls the flow of power from an electrical energy source to any application that needs energy. It improves energy efficiency by more than 40% in an array of products, from cars and refrigerators to light bulbs, and is a critical component of modern compact cardiac defibrillators.

The IGBT has reduced global carbon dioxide emissions by over 82 gigatons (180 trillion pounds) over the past 30 years. This is equivalent to offsetting carbon dioxide emissions from all human activity for three years, based on average emissions of the past 30 years.

About the Millennium Technology Prize

The €1 million Millennium Technology Prize is the preeminent award focused on technological innovations for a better life. This includes work that improves human well-being, biodiversity and wider sustainability. Overseen by the Technology Academy Finland, it was first awarded in 2004. Winners are selected by an international panel of experts from academia and industry. Innovations must be backed by rigorous research and fulfill several criteria, including promoting sustainable development and biodiversity, having generated applications with commercial viability, and creating accessible socioeconomic value.

Past winning innovations include DNA sequencing that helped develop COVID-19 vaccines, ethical stem-cell research and versatile, affordable smart technology.