Vaire Computing\u2019s Ice River chip reuses energy, cutting power by around 30 percentLeaders at the startup describe the test as proof of concept for reversible logicDespite the result, the chip is unlikely to convince hyperscale operators at this stage<\/p>\n
An experimental chip designed by a London startup has reached the proof of concept stage, showing it can reuse part of the energy it consumes.<\/p>\n
Vaire Computing hopes its work will go some way to addressing the rising energy demand from artificial intelligence systems, although questions remain about whether such technology will appeal to hyperscale operators who are working on their own energy-taming solutions.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Vaire\u2019s chip, known as Ice River, was tested in August 2025, and used about 30% less energy than a standard processor performing the same task, according to a report by ScienceNews<\/a>.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n More a pendulum than a hammer<\/p>\n Ice River tackles two common sources of inefficiency in modern processors.<\/p>\n Firstly, instead of running a calculation only one way, the chip’s reversible logic lets it work in both directions, reusing inputs for further calculations rather than discarding them as heat.<\/p>\n Vaire explains, \u201cWhile traditional computer chips can only use their stored energy once via a typical logic gate, the Ice River chip uses a reversible logic gate, which allows energy to be utilized in both directions.\u201d<\/p>\n Secondly, Ice River uses adiabatic computing. Conventional chips change voltages abruptly, like a hammer striking down, which generates extra heat. In Ice River, voltages rise and fall gradually instead.<\/p>\n This allows the system to recycle part of its own energy into subsequent operations.<\/p>\n Mike Frank, Senior Scientist at Vaire Computing, said current devices \u201cuse energy once and then throw it away.\u201d Ice River\u2019s design is a shift from brute-force power to something more subtle. \u201cYou can think of [the energy] as sloshing back and forth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Or, as ScienceNews journalist Kathryn Hulick described it, the effect is \u201cmore like a pendulum than a hammer.\u201d<\/p>\n For cofounder Hannah Earley, seeing the Ice River processor in action was a major thrill. \u201cI\u2019ve been sketching [the chip] on paper and [running it] in simulation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n The company has been positioning itself for longer-term development. In 2024, Vaire brought in Arm’s former unofficial tech futurologist Andrew Sloss<\/a> as its VP of technology, and also joined the incubator Silicon Catalyst UK to support its work.<\/p>\n