NEWS

On February 26, 2026, at the Kumamoto Semiconductor Venture Pitch 2025–2026 held in Kumamoto Prefecture, “NexGAN,” a joint student team from APU and Oita University, won the Excellence Award in the Student Idea category. This pitch competition was organized by Kumamoto Prefecture with the aim of promoting and supporting the creation of new technologies and businesses in the semiconductor field.

NexGAN focused its presentation on next-generation GaN (gallium nitride) power semiconductors as a solution to the rapidly growing electricity consumption of AI data centers, which has become a major social challenge. Compared to conventional silicon-based semiconductors, GaN offers higher power conversion efficiency and can significantly reduce energy loss and heat generation. As such, it is regarded as a key technology for supporting a sustainable digital society.
The team’s vision—leveraging next-generation power semiconductors to drive a global energy revolution and positioning Kumamoto as a hub for technological innovation—was highly commended, leading to the award of the Excellence Prize.

One of the participating students commented that “Kumamoto is a critical hub for the semiconductor industry, but as more factories are built, electricity consumption will only increase. That is precisely why we want to present a new model originating from Kumamoto.”

NexGAN APU Members (at the time of presentation)

• TIWARI SHASHWAT (4th year student, College of International Management, India)
• TAYZA THIHA (4th year student, College of International Management, Myanmar)
• JABBAR BIJOY (1st year student, Graduate School of Management, Bangladesh)
• ASSER OSSAMA ABOULMAKAREM (2nd year student, Graduate School of Management, Egypt)

Comment from Professor Masanori Fujita (College of International Management, Project Advisor)

“Following the collaboration with Kyushu Institute of Technology in 2025, APU students worked together with Oita University in 2026. Through outstanding leadership and diverse, flexible thinking, they successfully developed business ideas based on technologies researched at Oita University and delivered an excellent proposal. In a world where new technologies continuously enrich society, it is vital for APU students to serve as a bridge between technology and society and to make a meaningful impact on the global community.”