SOSV bet plasma transforms everything from semiconductors to spacecraft

Sometimes tools like hammers come in and everything starts to look like a claw. But the new tool will become more than a simple blunt instrument.

Investors SOSV Plasma bets that it will be a subtle implementation that can do everything from enabling the power of fusion to changing the way semiconductors are made.

It sees so many possibilities, and plans to invest in over 25 plasma-related startups over the next five years. It is also working with the New Jersey Department of Economic Development and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Institute to open a new HAX lab space.

Nuclear Fusion It’s an obvious place to seed plasma startups. The potential power source works by compressing the fuel until it transforms into a dense plasma, causing the atoms to begin fusion, releasing energy in the process.

“There are so many here. The best ideas have yet to come to unlock many possibilities in the fusion space,” SOSV general partner Duncan Turner told TechCrunch.

But fusion is just the tip of the iceberg, Turner said. The company has already invested in two companies, including YPLASMA, which uses plasma actuators to cool data center chips and controls airflow via wind turbine blades.

Finding new uses for plasma in semiconductor manufacturing where the state in question already plays a role could unlock new materials and processes, Turner said. Spacecrafts could benefit from more fuel-efficient plasma rasters than traditional thrusters. You can also unlock the Plasma A completely new way to make chemicals Like ammonia in fertilizer or co fuel₂.

“To put all of that together, we said, ‘Yeah, there’s over 25 companies here,'” he said. “In fact, there are hundreds of businesses here.”