HexSeed Raises Over €700K to Cool AI Data Centers

The big picture: HexSeed Technology, a UK-based carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) startup, has secured over €700K (£600K) in early-stage funding. The company focuses on transforming captured CO₂ into high-value supermaterials, specifically developing advanced thermal management solutions for AI infrastructure.

Why it matters:

• Escalating Energy Demand: AI data centers are projected to consume a significant portion of global electricity, with a large percentage of that energy lost as heat during power conversion. Efficient cooling is critical for sustainability and operational costs.
• GaN Transistor Limitations: While Gallium nitride (GaN) transistors offer superior power efficiency compared to silicon, their performance is hindered by heat generation. Overcoming this thermal barrier is key to unlocking their full potential in high-power applications.
• Incompatible Manufacturing: Traditional methods for growing diamond, the best-known thermal conductor, require high temperatures that would damage finished semiconductor devices, preventing its direct application for cooling.

How it works:

• Low-Temperature Diamond Coating: HexSeed is developing a proprietary low-carbon, low-temperature microwave plasma process that enables diamond coatings to be applied directly to completed GaN devices.
• Enhanced Thermal Conduction: This innovative coating pulls heat away from the active regions of the transistors, allowing them to operate more efficiently, last longer, and consume less energy.
• University Collaboration: The company works closely with University of Bristol professors Paul May (diamond materials expert) and Martin Kuball (semiconductor devices and heat management specialist) to advance its technology.

The catch: While HexSeed’s technology shows promise in laboratory settings, scaling the low-temperature diamond coating process to commercial GaN power devices presents a significant engineering challenge. The company will need to demonstrate consistent performance and cost-effectiveness to achieve widespread adoption in a competitive data center infrastructure market, which is already exploring various advanced cooling solutions.