GE Vernova’s Quiet Solid-State Transformer Roadmap: From McMurray’s 1968 Patent to a 2027 Commercial Product

GE Vernova, the energy-focused company spun out of General Electric in the April 2024 corporate split, holds direct corporate descent from the 1968 William McMurray solid-state transformer (SST) patent. The company has been notably quieter than ABB, Hitachi Energy, and Eaton on SST commercialization through 2024 and 2025, but the strategic position is non-trivial: GE Vernova owns the McMurray-era intellectual property, retains R&D continuity through what was previously GE Global Research, and has publicly committed to a 2027 commercial SST product target.

The 2027 timeline first surfaced in GE Vernova investor day materials in late 2024 and has been consistently referenced in subsequent earnings calls and trade-press coverage. POWER Magazine’s 2025 reporting on the broader SST industry cited GE Vernova as one of the manufacturers committed to a commercial product within the 2027 to 2028 window. The company has not disclosed product specifications, target markets, or named customer references.

The pace difference between GE Vernova and its direct competitors is interesting. ABB launched a commercial EV-charging SST in February 2024 and made a strategic minority investment in DG Matrix in March 2025. Hitachi Energy committed $1.5 billion in additional transformer-and-SST capacity in April 2025. Eaton acquired Resilient Power Systems in August 2025. GE Vernova’s public-facing pace through the same window has been an investor-day mention and quiet R&D continuation.

One plausible reading is that GE Vernova is being deliberate about the product-market fit decision. The three commercial SST architectures shipping in 2026 (single-port modular MV-SST, multi-port AC+DC, and integrated EV megawatt charger) are not the only viable architectures. GE Vernova is uniquely positioned to enter the market at the utility-scale grid-interconnect application — a segment where the company has incumbent customer relationships and where the SST’s bidirectional power flow and active voltage regulation features map cleanly to utility procurement standards.

The second plausible reading is that GE Vernova has been disciplined about not committing to a commercial product timeline it cannot hit. The 2027 target gives the company an additional 12 to 18 months over the field. Whether GE Vernova converts the McMurray-era legacy into a market-leading position or watches the startups take it remains the open question for the company through 2026 and 2027.

Why It Matters

For utilities weighing SST procurement, GE Vernova’s quiet position matters because it controls the 1968 McMurray patent lineage and a stated 2027 commercial target, giving buyers a credible incumbent alternative to startups and to ABB, Hitachi, and Eaton. The strategic read is that the field is not yet settled: a large-cap with grid-scale manufacturing and utility relationships entering late can still reset pricing and warranty terms that early movers are trying to establish.

Critical Perspective

Editorial correction: This post is part of MGRID’s Solid-State Transformer industry coverage. As of May 2026, that body of work systematically framed manufacturer announcements, funding rounds, and laboratory demonstrations as commercial deployments. The reality is that field-deployed commercial-class SST in revenue service globally is measured in single digits, and almost every product cited in this series is at “announced” or “funded” stage, not “operational.” Readers should treat the specific claims in this post against the standards documented in our SST Industry Reality Check (the per-claim audit table maps marketing language to verifiable deployment status). The corrective article is the canonical reference for SST industry reality; this post remains published with its original framing so the editorial drift is traceable.

Related Coverage

• Hitachi Energy Commits Additional $1.5 Billion for Transformer and Solid-State Transformer Capacity in Finland, Germany and North America: Hitachi Energy’s transformer capacity expansion mirrors GE Vernova’s SST focus
• ABB Takes Minority Stake in DG Matrix as Part of $20M Seed Round: The Largest Western Transformer Maker Bets on a Startup: ABB’s startup investment shows broader transformer industry interest
• Transformer Shortage Adds Two Years: Transformer shortage context for GE Vernova’s SST development