‘More like a pendulum than a hammer’: The AI chip that can reuse its own energy reaches proof of concept stage – but I don’t think it will be enough to convince hyperscalers to invest
- Vaire Computing’s Ice River chip reuses energy, cutting power by around 30 percent
- Leaders at the startup describe the test as proof of concept for reversible logic
- Despite the result, the chip is unlikely to convince hyperscale operators at this stage
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.
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.
Vaire’s 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.
More a pendulum than a hammer
Ice River tackles two common sources of inefficiency in modern processors.
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.
Vaire explains, “While 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.”
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.
This allows the system to recycle part of its own energy into subsequent operations.
Mike Frank, Senior Scientist at Vaire Computing, said current devices “use energy once and then throw it away.” Ice River’s design is a shift from brute-force power to something more subtle. “You can think of [the energy] as sloshing back and forth,” he said.
Or, as ScienceNews journalist Kathryn Hulick described it, the effect is “more like a pendulum than a hammer.”
For cofounder Hannah Earley, seeing the Ice River processor in action was a major thrill. “I’ve been sketching [the chip] on paper and [running it] in simulation,” she said.
The company has been positioning itself for longer-term development. In 2024, Vaire brought in Arm’s former unofficial tech futurologist Andrew Sloss as its VP of technology, and also joined the incubator Silicon Catalyst UK to support its work.
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Vaire Computing’s Ice River chip reuses energy, cutting power by around 30 percent Leaders at the startup describe the test as proof of concept for reversible logic Despite the result, the chip is unlikely to convince hyperscale operators at this stage An experimental chip designed by a London startup has…
