Startup Tales | GemaTEG: The cleantech for energy efficiency in data centres

Scopri come la tecnologia DaTEG di GemaTEG migliora le prestazioni dei microprocessori e riduce i consumi energetici con il localized cooling. 

With the aim of finding a solution to solve the problem of overheating of new generation microprocessors in data centers and the resulting decline in performance by combining growth and sustainability, an US-based startup (near Seattle) that has also two operational sites in Italy and Switzerland has developed an innovative cooling system that allows that allows chip designers in the high-performance computing (HPC) sector, to large service providers on the cloud (hyper-scalers), data center providers and system integrators overcome the limitations of artificial intelligence infrastructures, increasing computing capacity while reducing energy consumption.

How does the microprocessor cooling system work?

By means of devices of the same size as the high performance (new and existing) chips on which they are applied. Thanks to a micro heat pump that absorbs the heat generated by expelling it outside, those devices avoid overheating of the chips, working at temperatures that optimize their performance and extend their life.

An integrated and modular solution that, compared to traditional cooling systems, through the localized cooling approach constantly monitors the temperature of each individual chip and reduces it only when workload demands it. This has benefits for both the performance of the microprocessors and the environment as it ‘overcomes’ the need to cool down the spaces that house them, avoiding additional costs to buy more and achieve the same results in a historical phase where, with the pandemic, the “semiconductor crisis” has reappeared.

GemaTEG: the cleantech startup behind DaTEG™™ technology and partnership with Leonardo

The cleantech startup in question is called GemaTEG, was co-founded by Maurizio Miozza and Manfred Markevitch, and has has recently announced a partnership with Leonardo that provides for the use by the Italian aerospace and defense company of the technology renamed DaTEG™™, first implemented in the Leonardo data center in Chieti and then applied to the supercomputer davinci-1.

The origins of GemaTEG

The path of Maurizio Miozza

GemaTEG was co-founded by Maurizio Miozza (CCO of the company) and Manfred Markevitch (CEO) in 2019 in the USA. Miozza, astroparticle physicist from Perugia graduated with honors at the University of Perugia, after experiences in the world of research started at CERN in Geneva (not by chance dealing with cooling silicon) and continued in France, Germany and New Mexico, at the end of the last millennium he decided to return to Italy and change his field. For almost 21 years Miozza worked for an Umbrian aerospace company, dealing with business development, without forgetting his ‘technical’ vocation. A path in which the company sends him to the United States, more precisely to Seattle where Boeing is based.

The experience of Manfred Markevitch

Manfred Markevitch, on the other hand, after experiences in trading floor working for the largest US investment banks both on Wall Street and in the City of London, driven by the desire to expand his horizons moved into the world of industry working with CNHI, the industrial division of FIAT under the guidance of Sergio Marchionne. An obviously challenging experience that after a few years leads Markevitch to privilege the family and return to the USA (more precisely in Seattle) where he knows and collaborates with Miozza.

The GemaTEG Journey: From Vision to Data Center Solution

“After having brought important results for the company - recalls the CCO of the CleanTech reality - we realized how good the chemistry between us was so good that we decided to start our own business initiative”. Thus, starting from a simple piece of paper on which was written the ‘vision’ to harmonize growth and sustainability, still unchanged, was born in 2019 in Bellevue (USA) GemaTEG.

“A crazy project, driven by the desire to make a difference in markets where nobody knew us and with innovative products”, says Miozza. Given the indecision about ‘where’ to apply the vision from which the startup was born, Markevitch “established contacts with the main Seattle cloud sector that allowed us to discover how in 2019 one of the main problems to be solved in the future of the industry was the overheating of data centers, the main limiting factor for the cloud”, clarifies the CEO of GemaTEG.

The first steps of GemaTEG: from the USA to the opening of a branch in Umbria

At that point, for the co-founders of GemaTEG the key issue becomes to understand how to move away from developing a solution similar to traditional ones and, driven by the will to keep faith with their vision, They start to organise an R & D facility and then have to decide where to do their research.

Perugia’s choice for the research and development of GemaTEG

The choice falls on Italy and more precisely on Perugia. Besides the economic aspect, there are many reasons for this choice. “Tackling the complex problems of the future requires innovative approaches that embrace integration. General training is still preferred to specialist training in our country. Hence the choice to select talent on site and develop close relationships with our excellence in research and development”, highlights Miozza.

The local network: a strategic advantage for GemaTEG

Umbria, then, was a decision almost forced to establish GemaTEG Italy at the end of 2019. “The main reason - explains Miozza - lies not only in my origins but also by strategic considerations. Within 30 km of GemaTEG Italia, there are highly professional and competent suppliers, part of a network I have developed during my previous professional experience, able to accelerate the development process and support our challenge”.

In addition, adds the co-founder of the startup, “we hope that realities like ours can help the development of the region that has long suffered from industrial desertification”. The Gemateg site in Umbria, finally, is not only engaged in research but also in production thanks to the support obtained from Sviluppumbria through the SmartUp call which provided the company with economic resources for R & D activities, To which were added the incentives obtained by Invitalia through the Smart&Start program in 2020.

Collaborations with Italian universities and support for young talents

The GemaTEG CCO then points out that one of the concepts characterizing the United States is the give back, so “since in Italy there are no great opportunities for young talents, we wanted to offer them through the opening to the US market, leader in the sector, and with fruitful collaborations with several universities starting from Bicocca in Milan and the CNR of Lecco, followed in the following years by the Politecnico di Milano, the Università degli Studi di Perugia and La Sapienza of Rome and with the EPFL of Lausanne”.

Team diversity as added value

“An exciting aspect of GemaTEG Italia - adds Miozza - is the combination of young talents who work alongside more experienced figures. This has allowed the status quo to be called into question, revolutionising conventional approaches, thanks precisely to the energy and will of our young researchers”.

What is and how does DaTEG™™, the localized cooling technology to maximize chip energy efficiency

From these premises, after almost five years of R&D activities in 2024 the startup launches DaTEG™™: an integrated and modular chip thermal management solution consisting of a device with dimensions comparable to those of the microprocessors whose temperature is constantly monitored, in which a liquid flows that absorbs heat and expels it to the outside.

This reduces the temperature of processors to levels not reached by more advanced cooling solutions, thus ensuring an improvement in the performance of microprocessors and a significant reduction in energy consumption thanks to the localized cooling approach.

“A kind of miniaturized air conditioning system, made with solid state systems and technologies in part pre-existing and, in part, reinvented by us - explains Miozza -, which solves a major problem. Today, in fact, everything is cooled in a data center in the same way going to condition even spaces where it is not necessary, with consequent energy and environmental costs”.

DaTEG™: Innovative system to meet AI infrastructure challenge of the future

“The limiting factor for the future of AI infrastructure - continues GemaTEG’s CCO - is not only performance but energy efficiency and, in this view DaTEG™™ essentially does three things: it keeps the chip in optimal condition so as to maximize performance; Defines management strategies for the whole cluster, in order to prevent bottlenecks and eliminate waste; Finally, it uses resources in a way that minimises their cost. DaTEG™TM is the only solution on the market that can harmonize infrastructure needs with IT”.

“This will increase the yield of supercomputers in terms of operations with the lowest possible energy consumption: an innovative approach that fits our vision, because it allows growth to be pushed forward while controlling sustainability”, Miozza says.

The growth of GemaTEG

From the beginning, the development of the CleanTech technology prototype has caught the attention of investors and large technology companies that produce the next generation high-power chips (now over 1000W) on which, regardless of the type (CPU, GPU and accelerators), on wich DaTEG™ can be applied.

Strategic partnerships and international recognition

In the intense initial phase dedicated to R & D, the Italian-American cleantech company has initiated several dialogues with potential customers including Leonardo. In addition, the company’s commitment to sustainable technology has enabled GemaTEG to earn the Solar Impulse Foundation Efficient Solution Label from the Solar Impulse Foundation by becoming a member of the Solar Impulse Foundation, and in 2023 won the Flywheel Investment Conference in Seattle (also sponsored by Microsoft), benefiting from a $150,000 investment as a prize for its innovative solution and its potential for growth in the technology sector.

Also in 2023, the startup opened a third operating headquarters in Lausanne, Markevitch’s home country, following the collaborations that GemaTEG has initiated with particularly important centers such as EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, de facto the European alternative to MIT) to identify innovative solutions that optimize workloads of next-generation chips for cloud and AI servers, as well as joining EcoCloud: a consortium of high-profile companies and institutions seeking to sustainably optimise large cloud computing and AI environments.

The role of Intesa Sanpaolo and Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center in GemaTEG’s success

In the first part of GemaTEG’s growth, the Intesa Sanpaolo Group played a particularly important role. “First of all - recalls Miozza - Intesa Sanpaolo believed in us when DaTEG™ was little more than an idea supporting us on all fronts. As a bank, it helped us locally and through its participation in Up2Stars 2022 in the category Digital - Industry 4.0, it has contributed to making our business idea a reality”.

The entry into the Up2Stars acceleration program of Intesa Sanpaolo and Innovation Center

The entry into the Intesa Sanpaolo acceleration programme, implemented in collaboration with the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center and the support of the Gellify innovation platform, was particularly relevant for CleanTech. “From the beginning - explains the CCO of GemaTEG - we have made it clear that we are not the typical startup founded by first-time staff, with a good idea but without the skills on how to turn it into a structured business initiative. Our need was not so much coaching, however useful, but access to a network that provided the visibility necessary to accelerate the adoption of the solution”.

“The response has far exceeded our expectations, and if we compare ourselves with Leonardo today the credit goes to Up2Stars. In the board that selected the participating companies, we have met important figures who introduced us to Leonardo, thus establishing the first step towards the goal announced last September. Of Up2Stars - continues Miozza - I want to emphasize two aspects. On the one hand, flexibility which allowed us to have what we needed; On the other hand an important network that, I repeat, has addressed us exactly: a factor that has no price”.

Elite Lounge of Intesa Sanpaolo and the role of Business Development of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center for GemaTEG

After Up2Stars, GemaTEG was also a protagonist in the Elite Lounge of Intesa Sanpaolo organized in collaboration with Elite: Euronext ecosystem that helps startups and SMEs to grow and structure themselves through a set of services to support business. GemaTEG Italia is also part of the portfolio of Business Development of Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, a service that supports start-ups and innovative SMEs in their search for business partners and investors interested in the proposed innovations.

Ambitions and plans for the future of GemaTEG

After two years of discussions that led to the first phase of collaboration with Leonardo, looking ahead to the future, the objectives of the CleanTech reality are already defined. As Miozza explains, “the partnership with Leonardo has been well communicated in Europe. For the rest, we are working with the most important super computers in the United States that are the prerogative of the Government, and we hope to be able to make an announcement on that front soon given the positive feedback. A speech that is also proposed in Brazil, like other realities of Northern Europe”.

“We did not expect to start with collaborations with ‘first of the class’- continues GemaTEG CCO - and now, with the awareness of visibility and responsibility that follows, we face the challenge by structuring from the outset to meet such demanding customers. The key to the development phase was to involve technical advisors of the highest level, with decades of experience. Their guidance has enabled us not only to validate internally but also to put in place a lean organizational structure capable of meeting the challenges of the future. We are well aware that we have entered a compelling race which requires continuous improvement and development”.

Targets for 2025: new pilot plants and customized solutions

GemaTEG’s intention for 2025 “is to expand the pilot plants on customers and cutting-edge platforms, taking into account specific needs. Our approach is to tailor technology to the specific needs of customers. At the same time, we are already working on chip solutions that will see the light of day in two years’ time”,  concludes Miozza.