A startup looking to use metal foam for cooling has secured nearly $2 million in funding.

Swiss company Apheros this week announced a $1.85 million funding round to help commercialize its metal foam product. The foam is meant to cover the chip, which helps dissipate the heat generated during use through its large surface area.

The company said the pre-seed funding round, led by venture capital firm Founderful, will accelerate the development and deployment of Apheros' metal foam-based cooling solutions.

Founded in Zurich last year as an ETH Zurich university spin-out, Apheros creates metal foams with “unprecedented properties” due to their high surface area and low density, which it says provide greater heat transfer and flow properties ideal for high-performance cooling applications.

Apheros currently targets the thermal management market with a focus on liquid cooling. The company said its metal foams can be easily integrated into existing cooling systems. They address customers’ urgent needs of reduced energy consumption and cooling costs.

Julia Carpenter, co-founder and CEO of Apheros, said: "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.”

Carpenter developed the patented metal foaming process during her PhD in Materials Science at ETH Zurich.

On its website, the company said its foam’s microstructures "excel at dissipating heat," including in data center liquid cooling and two-phase evaporative cooling use cases. Its first product is reportedly a copper foam heat sink. Its product is reportedly able to be integrated into existing cooling systems.

Gaëlle Andreatta, co-founder and CTO of Apheros, added: “There is a dire need for more efficient cooling solutions. AI development is driving exponential growth in data center 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.”

According to Forbes, Apheros has been working with a technology sector partner to test its foam and is now moving into the commercialization phase of its business plan. The company expects to scale up production over the next year or so, enabling it to manufacture several tonnes of its foam. The typical data center would require a few hundred kilograms of the product.

Lukas Weder, founding partner at Founderful commented: “We are excited to support Apheros’ mission to revolutionize 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."