Swiss startup Apheros secures USD $1.85m for DC cooling tech

Swiss startup Apheros has announced a successful pre-seed funding round, raising USD $1.85 million. The company, led by co-founders Dr Julia Carpenter and Dr Galle Andreatta, has developed innovative cooling solutions specifically designed for data centres and high-power computing industries.

Apheros specialises in thermal management technology, utilising high-performance metal foams that optimise heat dissipation and fluid flow while reducing energy consumption. These features aim to address critical cooling challenges faced by the industry, especially as rack power consumption rises steadily.

Electricity costs, infrastructure density, and sustainability concerns have become key issues for data centre operators and companies reliant on artificial intelligence. By 2030, it is estimated that six percent of global energy consumption will be used specifically for cooling data centres. Apheros' metal foam technology is presented as a solution to these escalating demands, offering a more cost-effective and energy-efficient alternative to traditional cooling methods.

The funding round was led by the venture capital firm Founderful and will enable Apheros to accelerate the development and deployment of its metal foam-based cooling solutions. The patented manufacturing process employed by Apheros creates metal foam structures with open porosity and a high surface area, significantly enhancing heat transfer and fluid transport properties. These metal foams can be easily integrated into existing cooling systems, thereby meeting immediate customer needs for reduced energy consumption and lower cooling costs.

Apheros was founded in August 2023 as a spin-off from ETH Zurich and focuses on cooling challenges across various applications, including high-performance computing and mobile devices. The startup’s leadership team possesses extensive experience in innovation, business development, and technology transfer. Co-founder and CEO Dr Carpenter was recently named one of Switzerland's Top 10 Founders to Watch for her work in developing the novel metal foam manufacturing process. Co-founder and CTO Dr Andreatta brings over 16 years of experience in research and development, tech transfer, and startup development to the company.

Dr Carpenter commented on the funding round, stating, "Our technology has the potential to set new industry standards and significantly reduce the environmental impact of cooling solutions worldwide. This funding round will allow us to advance our mission of helping our customers achieve superior thermal performance, increase energy efficiency, and contribute to a greener future. Immediately, we will expand production, increase research and development efforts, and bring state-of-the-art solutions to a broader market."

The focus on liquid cooling within the thermal management market is expanding rapidly due to increasing demands from high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, and data centres. More efficient cooling systems are necessary to address current energy shortages and meet ambitious climate protection goals. Dr Andreatta highlighted the urgency, saying, "There is a dire need for more efficient cooling solutions. AI development is driving exponential growth in data centre energy consumption, and inefficient cooling is the main culprit. Our unique metal foams have superior heat exchange and fluid transport properties, especially for liquid and two-phase cooling. With our customers, we are redefining thermal management."

Lukas Weder, a founding partner at Founderful, expressed confidence in Apheros' potential: "We are excited to support Apheros' mission to revolutionise cooling technology. Apheros' groundbreaking approach has the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption and set new industry standards. We are confident in the team's vision and capabilities and look forward to seeing the positive impact they will make on both the industry and the environment."