Swiss startup Corintis has raised $24 million in a Series A round and appointed Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan to its board, strengthening its push to commercialize advanced liquid chip-cooling technology. The Lausanne-based company has developed a system that channels liquid directly through micro-etched pathways inside chips, allowing heat to be removed up to three times more efficiently than conventional cooling methods. Microsoft, one of Corintis’ customers, has already tested and validated the system’s performance.

The funding round valued Corintis at around $400 million, according to a source familiar with the deal. Venture capital firm BlueYard Capital led the investment, joined by Founderful, Acequia Capital, Celsius Industries, and XTX Ventures. With this round, Corintis has raised a total of $33.4 million, including its earlier pre-seed financing. The startup, founded in 2022 as a spin-off from Lausanne’s Federal Institute of Technology, was created by CEO Remco van Erp, COO Sam Harrison, and a third co-founder.

AI chips from companies like Nvidia are consuming unprecedented levels of power, putting pressure on existing cooling infrastructure that primarily relies on air systems. Rising heat levels slow down performance and increase stress on power grids. Unlike most liquid cooling systems that only pull heat from the surface, Corintis’ innovation enables direct in-chip cooling, reducing energy and water usage while maintaining high efficiency in power-hungry AI data centers.

Currently, Corintis produces about 100,000 cold plates per year—metal blocks that sit atop chips and transfer heat into circulating liquid—but plans to scale to 1 million units annually by 2026. Its modular design means the plates can serve as drop-in upgrades for existing liquid cooling systems or be directly built into chips, providing flexibility for large-scale deployments. The company is also leveraging proprietary software to automate system design and improve manufacturing output.

Industry experts say Corintis’ technology could prove critical as AI adoption surges globally, driving demand for more efficient data center infrastructure. By combining innovative hardware design with sustainable energy savings, Corintis is positioning itself as a key player in the next generation of semiconductor cooling solutions. The addition of Lip-Bu Tan to the board signals growing confidence that the startup’s technology is ready to scale commercially.

Source: Reuters.