This semiconductor element drive apparatus switches an insulating gate at a positive voltage to at a negative voltage just before recovery when an anode current is large, and holds the insulating gate at the positive voltage when the anode current is small in a semiconductor element that is provided with: a first conductivity type first semiconductor layer (n− type drift layer); a second conductivity type second semiconductor layer (p type anode layer) that is adjacent to the first semiconductor layer and is exposed on one main surface (anode side); a first conductivity type third semiconductor layer (n type cathode layer) that is adjacent to the first semiconductor layer, is exposed on the other main surface (cathode side), and has an impurity concentration higher than that of the first semiconductor layer (n− type drift layer); and the insulating gate on the other main surface (cathode side).