Swiss startup Apheros has raised $1.85 million in pre-seed funding to develop its innovative metal foam technology for cooling data centers. The company, founded in August 2023 by Dr. Julia Carpenter and Dr.
Gaëlle Andreatta, aims to address the growing energy consumption challenges faced by data centers and high-performance computing industries. Apheros’ patented metal foam technology offers a cost-effective and energy-efficient alternative to traditional cooling methods. The company’s proprietary manufacturing process creates metal foams 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, helping customers reduce energy consumption and lower cooling costs. Dr. Carpenter, the CEO of Apheros, expressed excitement about the funding, stating that their technology has the potential to set new industry standards and significantly reduce the environmental impact of cooling solutions worldwide.
The funding round, led by venture capital firm Founderful, will enable Apheros to accelerate the development and deployment of its metal foam-based cooling solutions.
Apheros gains funding for cooling solutions
Dr.
Andreatta, the CTO of Apheros, emphasized the urgency of more efficient cooling solutions, noting that AI development is driving exponential growth in data center energy consumption, with inefficient cooling being the main culprit. Apheros’ unique metal foams have superior heat exchange and fluid transport properties, especially for liquid and two-phase cooling, and the company is working with customers to redefine thermal management. Lukas Weder, a founding partner at Founderful, expressed confidence in Apheros’ potential, stating that the company’s groundbreaking approach has the potential to significantly reduce energy consumption and set new industry standards.
Founderful is excited to support Apheros’ mission and looks forward to seeing the positive impact they will make on both the industry and the environment. As data centers face increased pressure to meet the computational demands of next-gen workloads, particularly AI training and inference, Apheros aims to optimize existing infrastructure by enhancing how data centers handle the cooling of specialized hardware powering AI workloads. The company’s metal foams feature a 1000-fold higher surface area compared to conventional materials, providing up to 90% improved heat exchange from the chip to the surrounding liquid.
Apheros’ metal foams are manufactured using a proprietary powder-based method at room temperature, offering consistent properties with high open-cell porosity and scalability. The company is currently providing the foams to key cooling system manufacturers and refining them based on their feedback. While the technology is still in early stages, its potential for improving data center efficiency is promising.
