TDK Ventures Invests in NovoLINC’s Advanced Thermal Interface Solutions for Next Generation AI Computing

• NovoLINC specializes in developing high-performance thermal interface solutions with superior thermal conductivity, reliability, and scalability, addressing critical thermal management challenges as data-center energy consumption surges.
• NovoLINC’s innovative technology offers the industry’s all-time lowest thermal resistance, superior heat transfer. It is ideally positioned to support the computing-industry shift from air to liquid cooling and provides the foundation for the next generation of high energy density GPUs, CPUs, and more.

January 21, 2025

TDK Corporation (TSE: 6762) announced today that subsidiary TDK Ventures, Inc. has invested in thermal interface solution innovator NovoLINC, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based company that is revolutionizing datacenter and semiconductor cooling with advanced thermal technology. NovoLINC’s unique approach incorporates a proprietary materials system and nanomechanical design, delivering significantly lower thermal resistance compared to conventional materials. This innovative technology addresses thermal management challenges in data centers for AI applications, where energy demands are doubling and cooling costs represent up to 40% of the total data center energy expenditure.

As data centers shift from air cooling to liquid cooling due to the increased power and heat generated by GPUs and high-density chips, thermal interface between the chip and heat sink has become the critical bottleneck in cooling architecture. Traditional thermal interface solutions struggle to meet the demands of modern computing environments, where transistor sizes are decreasing, chip energy densities are increasing, and complex heterogeneous chiplet designs are emerging. NovoLINC’s technology directly addresses these challenges by offering an innovation with high thermal conductivity and exceptionally low thermal resistance (<1mm²-K/W) with improved reliability through a high-throughput production method that ensures quality at scale.

The NovoLINC team has world class subject matter experts Dr. Sheng Shen and Dr. Rui Cheng from Carnegie Mellon University serving as CSO and CTO, respectively.  Cofounder Dr. Ning Li, a serial entrepreneur, brings her 18 years of industrial expertise from Seagate Technology and extensive startup experiences as CEO. The technology has been incubated in the ARPA-E COOLERCHIPS program and is gaining traction in industry, including major semiconductor companies and data center hyperscalers.

TDK Ventures President Nicolas Sauvage remarked, “NovoLINC is tackling one of the most pressing technical challenges concerning data-center cooling and semiconductor thermal management. As data centers and chip manufacturers transition to liquid cooling, NovoLINC’s thermal interface technology offers the performance and scalability needed to support this industry-wide shift. We’re proud to partner with NovoLINC, whose team brings both the expertise and the innovation necessary to transform thermal management for high-density computing.”

NovoLINC CEO Li commented, “Our mission is to enable sustainable technology advancement across various industries. Our products improve field performance and reliability for semiconductors, reducing energy and water consumption in data centers. We are excited to partner with our clients to meet the demands of the next generation computing environment.”

NovoLINC has had strong financial backing from the industry. M Ventures led the round, with participation from Foothill Ventures and TDK Ventures. In addition, the founders of NovoLINC have received grant funding from U.S. National Science Foundation’s Partnerships for Innovation and ARPA-E’s COOLERCHIPS programs.

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About TDK Corporation

TDK Corporation is a world leader in electronic solutions for the smart society based in Tokyo, Japan. Built on a foundation of material sciences mastery, TDK welcomes societal transformation by resolutely remaining at the forefront of technological evolution and deliberately “Attracting Tomorrow.” It was established in 1935 to commercialize ferrite, a key material in electronic and magnetic products. TDK’s comprehensive, innovation driven portfolio features passive components such as ceramic, aluminum electrolytic and film capacitors, as well as magnetics, high-frequency, and piezo and protection devices. The product spectrum also includes sensors and sensor systems such as temperature and pressure, magnetic, and MEMS sensors. In addition, TDK provides power supplies and energy devices, magnetic heads and more. These products are marketed under the product brands TDK, EPCOS, InvenSense, Micronas, Tronics and TDK-Lambda. TDK focuses on demanding markets in automotive, industrial and consumer electronics, and information and communication technology. The company has a network of design and manufacturing locations and sales offices in Asia, Europe, and in North and South America. In fiscal 2024, TDK posted total sales of USD 14.6 billion and employed about 101,000 people worldwide.

About TDK Ventures

TDK Ventures Inc. invests in startups to bolster innovation in materials science, energy/power and related areas typically underrepresented in venture capital portfolios. Established in 2019 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of TDK Corporation, the corporate venture company’s vision is to propel the digital and energy transformations of segments such as robotics and industrial, next-generation transportation, mixed reality and the wider IoT/IIoT markets. TDK Ventures will co-invest and support promising portfolio companies by providing technical expertise and access to global markets where TDK operates. Interested startups or investment partners may contact TDK Ventures: www.tdk-ventures.com or [email protected].

About NovoLINC

NovoLINC is a pioneer startup in advanced thermal interface solutions, headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. NovoLINC has developed a unique nanostructured materials system and proprietary manufacturing process to revolutionize thermal management for high-performance computing, data centers, automobile, aerospace and power electronics. With a team of industry experts and partnerships with leading technology companies, NovoLINC aims to enable sustainable scaling of semiconductor and data-center industries. Interested partners may contact the company via [email protected].

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