What is driving the shift from platelet to spherical boron nitride in thermal interface materials?

What is driving the shift from platelet to spherical boron nitride in thermal interface materials?
Spherical boron nitride is gaining traction because traditional platelet h-BN creates anisotropic thermal conductivity and sharply increases resin viscosity at high filler loadings. Spherical particles, composed of randomly oriented BN micro-crystals, enable higher filler content and near-isotropic heat dissipation. Global sales reached USD 9 million in 2025 and are projected to hit USD 13 million by 2032, a 5.3% CAGR, versus under 2% growth for conventional thermal fillers. Key demand drivers include AI GPUs, HBM stacks, chiplet packaging, and 800V EV platforms using SiC/GaN power modules. Saint-Gobain and 3M dominate high-end North American AI cooling, while Chinese firms like Baitu Gaoxin and Suzhou Jinyi are rapidly advancing domestic substitution.