【World Express】Cornell emerges as a leader in semiconductor innovation 

Jonathan McCandless, Ph.D. ’23, pitches his startup, Gallox Semiconductors, at the Green Technology Innovation Fellows showcase in April 2025. Gallox is one of several semiconductor startups at Cornell.

      Gallox Semiconductors, a startup with roots at Cornell University, has had recent success on the international stage, winning the 2025 Hello Tomorrow Global Challenge in the Advanced Computing & Electronics category.

      Hello Tomorrow is an international competition designed to support early-stage deep tech startups that leverage scientific discoveries. To win the challenge, startups must demonstrate technological innovation, potential for substantial impact, economic viability and strong leadership. 

      Gallox founder Jon McCandless, Ph.D. ’23, became interested in the compound gallium oxide as a semiconductor during his time as a researcher at the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory from 2016 to 2017. This inspired him to pursue a Ph.D. at Cornell under Debdeep Jena, an expert in developing new materials for electronic devices and the David E. Burr Professor of Engineering. 

      Through his research, McCandless aimed to develop a more efficient semiconductor technology. Semiconductors are the materials used to power any technology that requires a computer chip to function, from consumer electronics to industrial applications.  

      Gallox’s gallium oxide semiconductors have potential applications in space technology, aviation and electric vehicle charging. Gallium oxide’s heightened energy efficiency offers a promising alternative to silicon carbide, the most commonly used semiconductor in power electronics today. The technology allows for smaller, more powerful chips with the potential to increase computers’ capabilities and reduce the environmental impact of computing. 

      After completing his Ph.D., McCandless completed Ignite Fellow for New Ventures — a venture acceleration program supporting and funding Cornell startups and managed by Cornell’s Center for Technology Licensing (CTL). Following his graduation from the program, McCandless, along with Jena and Huili Grace Xing, the William L. Quackenbush Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and of Materials Science and Engineering, licensed the technology from CTL to found Gallox.  

      McCandless said Gallox is the first company in the world to commercialize a gallium oxide semiconductor innovation.  

      “Cornell has a very, very rich history and legacy in this area,” McCandless said. “Because of the great facilities they offer, they attract great faculty. This leads to great research, lending itself to commercialization.” 

      To do this research and commercialization, Gallox is an industry partner in NORDTECH, a U.S. Department of Defense-funded coalition advancing research and development in microelectronics. Cornell is one of five founding members of this regional hub. Gallox also received a National Science Foundation STTR Phase I award totaling $305,000 in early 2025.

      Today, Gallox is a member of the Cornell Praxis Center for Venture Development, an on-campus business incubator that supports physical sciences companies. Working alongside other successful innovators and professionals helps to give startups the entrepreneurial confidence to take their product to the next level.