NANOTECH BREAKTHROUGH BY TEJA POTOČNIK BOOSTS MICROCHIP ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Teja Potočnik, a Slovenian researcher, has pioneered a platform that integrates nanomaterials into microchip production, aiming to slash energy consumption and tackle the rising environmental footprint of data centers.

Data centers are the digital world's backbone, but they come with a hefty environmental price tag. Globally, they're estimated to guzzle around 460 terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity each year, equivalent to powering 153 million homes. Without intervention, their carbon emissions could hit 3.2% of global emissions by 2025. Potočnik, a 26-year-old, is working to change this.

Her invention, an automated nanomaterial integration platform, refines the manufacturing of advanced semiconductors, or chips. These advanced chips, in turn, power the servers and hardware that run today's data centers. By enabling the creation of more energy-efficient chips, her innovation directly helps reduce the massive energy consumption of data centers worldwide.

"The problem we're solving is the ever-growing demand for faster, more efficient, and more powerful microchips. This demand is driven by users of AI services, quantum computing, and data storage," Potočnik explains. "Our invention can help use nanomaterials to produce more energy-efficient chips, leading to huge energy savings."

This pioneering project has earned her a spot among the visionary innovators chosen for the Young Inventors Prize 2025, awarded by the European Patent Office.

Making Nanotechnology an Industrial Reality

As chips shrink and become more powerful, manufacturers are looking to materials like graphene, carbon nanotubes, and quantum dots to push performance limits. But while these nanomaterials show immense promise, integrating them on a large scale remains a complex hurdle.

Potočnik's invention, LithoTag, tackles this head-on. By embedding nanoscale markers into semiconductor wafers, the platform allows for the precise and highly repeatable alignment and integration of nanomaterials. This effectively bridges the gap between lab research and industrial production.

"Industry cares about reliability, replicability, and integration into production processes," she says. "No matter how good a technology is, if it's not scalable, it has little value."

From Slovenia to Global Impact

Originally from Slovenia, Potočnik moved to the UK to study Materials Science and Engineering, where she says she "fell in love with nanomaterials." While completing her PhD in nanofabrication at the University of Cambridge, Potočnik co-founded the startup Nanomation. With support from Cambridge Enterprise, her team filed a patent application and began exploring commercial partnerships with chip manufacturers.

But it's not just about business. Potočnik's work directly supports UN Sustainable Development Goal No. 9 – Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – by boosting the scalability of sustainable microelectronics. This could lead to more energy-efficient consumer devices and data center infrastructure, bringing widespread environmental benefits.

Setting a New Industry Standard

Looking ahead, Potočnik envisions her technology becoming the future standard in advanced electronics manufacturing. "The real advantage of our technology is that it can be applied to any material and any type of electronic design, so we truly hope to establish ourselves as the industry standard for nanomaterial integration in advanced circuits," she explains.

Beyond her lab, the young Slovenian innovator hopes her story inspires others to pursue bold, scalable ideas that can make a difference. "To all inventors who are thinking of bringing their new idea to life, I simply advise them to have an open mind and be brave," Potočnik advises.

What impact do you think Potočnik's innovation could have on the global fight against climate change, especially concerning the energy demands of our increasingly digital world?