Indian American whose work has impacted billions around the world awarded 2024 Millennium Technology Prize: Professor B. Jayant Baliga

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“The man with the world’s largest negative carbon footprint”

In yet another example of what immigrants have contributed to the United States, North Carolina State University Professor B. Jayant Baliga was awarded the 2024 Millennium Technology Prize earlier this month. Professor Baliga’s work on the invention, development and commercialization of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), has played a critical role in energy efficiency for technologies worldwide.

Forbes called Baliga, “the man with the world’s largest negative carbon footprint” and that reputation may get further enhanced as the Indian American professor continues to work on new inventions related to solar power and delivery, as well as Artificial Intelligence.

The Millennium Technology Prize, which comes with a 1 million euros award, is the most prestigious international award focused on recognizing technological innovation, a September 4, 2024, news report on the NCSU website says. Baliga is the Progress Energy Distinguished University Emeritus Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NC State. The formal award ceremony will take place October 30 in Finland.

The IGBT invented by Prof. Baliga, is an energy-saving semiconductor switch that controls the flow of power from an electrical energy source to any application that needs energy. It improves energy efficiency by more than 40 percent in a wide range of products from cars and light bulbs to cardiac defibrillators.

According to estimates, 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,” the news report said.

“The IGBT has already had and continues to have a major impact on supporting sustainability with improved living standards worldwide, while mitigating environmental impact,” Minna Palmroth, chair of the Board of Technology Academy Finland, which gives the prize, is quoted saying.. “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.”

Baliga said, “It is very exciting to have been selected for this great honor,” noting how ubiquitous IGBT is in the everyday life of billions of people worldwide. The graduate of Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, has at least 123 patents and has receives scores of awards and recognitions during his career.

His split-gate power MOSFET is widely manufactured for use in laptops, PCs and servers. And his silicon carbide inventions – including the JBS rectifier and shielded channel power MOSFET – are used in a variety of state-of-the-art electrical power management technologies, the news report said.

After graduating from IIT Madras in Electrical Engineering, Prof. Baliga received his Masters and Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY. According to his bio on the NCState website, he is a Member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the IEEE. He spent 15 years at the General Electric Research and Development Center, Schenectady, NY, leading their power device effort and was bestowed the highest scientific rank of Coolidge Fellow. He joined NC State in 1988 as a Full Professor and was promoted to the rank of ‘Distinguished University Professor’ in 1997. Among his many NC State honors, he was the recipient of the 1998 O. Max Gardner Award given by the North Carolina University Board of Governors to the one person within the 16 constituent universities who has made ‘the greatest contribution to the welfare of the human race’; and the 2011 Alexander Quarles Holladay Medal of Excellence, the highest honor at NC State from the Board of Trustees.

Prof. Baliga has authored/edited 18 books and over 500 scientific articles.   He received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest form of recognition given to an engineer by the United States Government, from President Obama in October 2011, at the White House.