IIT-educated US professor wins $1 million Millennium Technology Prize

Professor Bantval Jayant Baliga, a 76-year-old Indian-American electrical engineer born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, has been awarded the 2024 Millennium Technology Prize. The prize, awarded by Technology Academy Finland, which includes a €1 million award (approximately $1.1 million), recognises his invention of the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT), which has reduced global electrical energy and petrol consumption.

Professor Bantval Jayant Baliga of North Carolina State University, US, invented the IGBT in the 1980s, which has played a crucial role in improving energy efficiency and reducing pollution.

The IGBT, a power semiconductor device, combines high efficiency with fast switching and has revolutionised the power industry.

It is now used in a wide variety of applications, including wind and solar power installations, electric and hybrid-electric cars, medical diagnostic machines, and household appliances.

The IGBT has significantly contributed to the reduction of carbon emissions, cutting over 82 gigatons (180 trillion pounds) of CO2 in the last 30 years.

This is equivalent to setting off carbon dioxide emissions by all human activity for three years, based on the average of the past 30 years’ time frame, according to the Millennium Technology Prize organisation.

Baliga’s work has been crucial in advancing the global green transition, making renewable energy and electrification more efficient and profitable.

BALIGA JOINED A PRESTIGIOUS LIST OF PRIZE RECIPIENTS

The Millennium Technology Prize, awarded by Technology Academy Finland, honours innovations that benefit millions worldwide.

By winning the prize, Baliga joins a notable list of recipients, including Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, who was the first to receive the award in 2004.

Baliga’s academic journey began at Bishop Cotton Boys' School in Bangalore. He earned his BTech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in 1969, followed by an MS in 1971 and a PhD in 1974 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Throughout his career, Baliga has received numerous honours, including the Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest engineering award in the United States, which he received from President Barack Obama in 2011.