ABB Snaps Up Advantics in a Power Play for the DC Future

If you've been paying attention to the energy world lately, you've probably noticed a quiet shift happening behind the scenes. Electricity is taking over — not just in our cars and homes, but in the very fabric of how industries consume power. And at the heart of that shift is a battle over something most of us never think about: whether that electricity flows as alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC).

ABB, the Swiss-Swedish electrification giant, just made a move that signals exactly where it thinks the future lies. On July 15, 2026, the company announced it is acquiring Advantics, a French specialist in Silicon Carbide-based power conversion solutions. Financial terms weren't disclosed, but the deal is expected to close by the fourth quarter of this year.

Why DC? And why now?

Here's the thing: the world runs mostly on AC — that's what comes out of your wall sockets. But a growing number of modern applications actually prefer DC. Data centers, electric vehicle chargers, industrial microgrids, and renewable energy systems all operate more efficiently on DC power. The problem? Every time you convert between AC and DC, you lose energy. And in a world where electricity's share of final energy consumption is expected to jump from 20% today to around 36% by 2035, those losses add up fast.

ABB has been building out its DC portfolio for years, offering technologies that minimize repeated AC/DC conversion and maximize efficiency. But the Advantics acquisition adds a new weapon to that arsenal: power converter modules that deliver up to 99% efficiency. That's not just incremental improvement — that's a game-changer for energy-hungry industries.

A French gem with global ambitions

Based in Saint-Genis-Pouilly in eastern France, Advantics isn't your typical hardware shop. The company integrates hardware, firmware, and software to optimize power conversion performance across some of the most demanding applications on the planet. Its Silicon Carbide technology has already proven it can deliver breakthrough performance — and now it gets to plug into ABB's global reach, engineering expertise, and decades of experience in protection, distribution, and digital control.

What does that mean in practice? ABB can now offer a more complete DC ecosystem: design, protect, convert, distribute, and manage power in new electrical architectures with higher power density, resilience, and efficiency. It's like upgrading from a Swiss Army knife to a full toolbox.

Two voices, one vision

Massimiliano Cifalitti, who runs ABB's Smart Power division, put it this way: "We invest continuously in technology and talent to support global energy expansion. ABB offers industry-leading Direct Current solutions, and Advantics' power converter technology and world-class engineering talent are a perfect match".

Michal Elias, founder and CEO of Advantics, sounded equally bullish: "As the world electrifies, the opportunities for innovation are unprecedented and demand for efficient, intelligent power conversion is accelerating faster than ever before. ABB shares our vision for the future of this technology".

The bigger picture

This isn't just a bolt-on acquisition. It's a bet on where the energy transition is headed. Data centers are multiplying. EV charging networks are expanding. Industrial microgrids are becoming the norm. All of these demand smarter, more efficient ways to handle power — and all of them run better on DC.

With Advantics in the fold, ABB isn't just expanding its portfolio. It's positioning itself to shape the infrastructure that will power the next decade of digital transformation and energy transition. And with 140 years of history and 110,000 employees worldwide, ABB knows a thing or two about playing the long game.

The deal hasn't closed yet — regulators still need to sign off. But one thing is clear: in the race to build a more electrified, more efficient world, ABB just picked up a very fast horse.