Amperesand is targeting data centers as the next big customer for its solid-state transformers

It is expected to consume as much as data centers 12% It’s no surprise that tech companies are looking for energy from any source to reduce US electricity consumption by 2028. nucleus, renewable energyor something else entirely. But solar produces very different electricity than a nuclear plant, and combining different energy sources can be difficult.

“There are about 90 gigawatts (of data centers) globally in 2023, and that will grow to 185 gigawatts by 2028, so it’s just around the corner,” Amperesand CEO Gary Lawrence told TechCrunch.

Today’s equipment, transformers that convert power from one format to another, are up to the task, but Amperesand is betting that its technology can do it better and more efficiently.

At its core, Amperesand technology replaces the iron cores that defined older transformers with silicon carbide. Existing transformers follow the same basic design that has worked well for over a century, but they have their drawbacks. First, they are not good at handling fluctuations and dips in voltage or frequency. Moreover, they must be adapted to the specific format of the electricity they wish to convert.

Silicon carbide solid-state transformers promise to change that. “The solid-state transformer platform is multi-ported, modular in design,” said Brian Dow, Amperesand’s new chief product officer.

“We can create different AC phases from AC to AC, from AC to DC. You can locally connect DC sources such as photovoltaic (solar) and batteries. You can integrate with turbines, small modular reactors. And you can basically switch between them seamlessly, so if there’s a network problem, you can back up and you can also get back online.”

Amperesand is in the process of raising the A series after landing $12.5 million seed turnover last yearthe company exclusively told TechCrunch. “We’ve just raised our Series A and it’s moving really fast,” said Phil Inagaki, managing partner of Temasek’s Khora Innovations. The company is targeting EV charging and grid applications in addition to data centers, and the solid-state nature of the technology makes it easy to control with software. Last year, it demonstrated a 6 megawatt transformer.

Chora incubated Amperesand and Inagaki led the company in its initial formation. Recently, with some funding and a solid strategy in place, he handed the reins to a new management team, including Lawrence, Dow and the company’s new chief technology officer, Tommy Joyner.

The Singapore-based startup is also in the process of opening an office here in the US to be closer to the mass market and attract local talent. For example, Dow and Joyner both worked at Tesla and Generac.

“The U.S. is still where there’s amazing talent that we can tap into,” Inagaki said. “We have some in Singapore, but we won’t be able to expand that quickly. So no doubt that talent angle was a big factor.