Blab Tech
Malaysian Deep-Tech Startup nSWX Secures $2 Million Seed Round to Advance Heat-Management for AI Chips
A Malaysian deep‑tech startup has just landed a $2 million seed round that could change how AI chips keep their cool. nanoSkunkWorkX (nSWX), a company that builds thin‑film interfaces for semiconductor packaging, green‑hydrogen production and rapid diagnostics, announced the investment on 2 September 2026.
The funding, led by Singapore‑based venture firm Tin Men Capital, will help nSWX qualify semiconductor partners, scale its interface‑engineering platform, expand hydrogen validation and diagnostics programmes across Asia, and hire additional technical staff. The round follows a cumulative external pre‑seed capital of less than $1.5 million, during which the company built its core platform, launched three product lines and published peer‑reviewed data on its graphene‑copper films.
nSWX’s flagship product, nSD‑I, is a thin‑film interface that can be applied to existing AI chip packages without replacing copper or altering manufacturing steps. Peer‑reviewed research shows that its graphene‑copper films conduct heat across their surface more than twice as effectively as a standard copper baseline. Subsequent tests indicate that the performance advantage is retained after the material is used in pre‑qualification test components. The company says the improved heat transfer and higher current capacity could reduce thermal throttling, lower cooling requirements, and improve compute efficiency, thereby cutting AI inference costs.
Beyond AI chips, nSWX is applying its technology to green‑hydrogen production, aiming to improve charge transfer and reduce reliance on platinum‑group metals. In diagnostics, the startup is collaborating with the U.S. Navy’s NAMRU INDOPAC under a paid agreement focused on biosensors.
"The cost of building and operating AI infrastructure can be dramatically reduced through small efficiency gains at the process‑step level," said Iqbal Shamsul, co‑founder and CEO. "Our opportunity lies in improving how the copper inside the packaging carries current, heat and signals." Shamsul added that the new capital will allow the company to demonstrate the transformative impact of its interface to industry partners.
Founded by Dr Amani Salim, a former NASA principal investigator, and Shamsul, an MIT‑trained computer scientist who previously worked as a commodities vice‑president at Morgan Stanley, the team returned to Malaysia because of the country’s strong materials capabilities, manufacturing depth and growing support for deep‑tech ventures. Malaysia accounts for roughly 13 % of global semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging, and the state‑owned fund Khazanah Nasional’s Dana Impak has earmarked RM 1 billion (US$247 million) for strategic investments in AI and semiconductor technologies.
Dr Salim explained that performance losses in modern systems often occur at the boundaries between materials, where heat, charge and signals concentrate. "Improving a small, critical interface can unlock much larger system gains while preserving the materials, equipment and manufacturing base already around it," he said.
Tin Men Capital’s Jeremy Tan, co‑founder and managing partner, noted that the investment marks the firm’s first backing of a Malaysian startup. "We have been spending considerable time in Malaysia’s tech ecosystem and are delighted to make our first investment in a startup like nanoSkunkWorkX," Tan said. He praised the team’s physics expertise, capital efficiency and ability to engage customers at the senior technical level.
nSWX was recently selected for the inaugural SemiconStart Malaysia cohort, led by the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) in partnership with Silicon Catalyst UK. The program aims to support package qualification and provide access to the global semiconductor industry. The company was also a finalist in the Baker Hughes Energy Ideas Generation Programme APAC in 2025.
At present, nSWX is focused on proving its interface technology to semiconductor partners and expanding its hydrogen and diagnostics programmes. The company has not announced a public launch date for nSD‑I, but it expects to begin pilot deployments in the coming months as part of its partner qualification efforts. No regulatory actions or court proceedings are currently associated with the company.
The seed round underscores growing investor interest in advanced materials solutions that address heat and current management challenges in AI chip packaging, a sector that is increasingly critical to global computing infrastructure.
The funding, led by Singapore‑based venture firm Tin Men Capital, will help nSWX qualify semiconductor partners, scale its interface‑engineering platform, expand hydrogen validation and diagnostics programmes across Asia, and hire additional technical staff. The round follows a cumulative external pre‑seed capital of less than $1.5 million, during which the company built its core platform, launched three product lines and published peer‑reviewed data on its graphene‑copper films.
nSWX’s flagship product, nSD‑I, is a thin‑film interface that can be applied to existing AI chip packages without replacing copper or altering manufacturing steps. Peer‑reviewed research shows that its graphene‑copper films conduct heat across their surface more than twice as effectively as a standard copper baseline. Subsequent tests indicate that the performance advantage is retained after the material is used in pre‑qualification test components. The company says the improved heat transfer and higher current capacity could reduce thermal throttling, lower cooling requirements, and improve compute efficiency, thereby cutting AI inference costs.
Beyond AI chips, nSWX is applying its technology to green‑hydrogen production, aiming to improve charge transfer and reduce reliance on platinum‑group metals. In diagnostics, the startup is collaborating with the U.S. Navy’s NAMRU INDOPAC under a paid agreement focused on biosensors.
"The cost of building and operating AI infrastructure can be dramatically reduced through small efficiency gains at the process‑step level," said Iqbal Shamsul, co‑founder and CEO. "Our opportunity lies in improving how the copper inside the packaging carries current, heat and signals." Shamsul added that the new capital will allow the company to demonstrate the transformative impact of its interface to industry partners.
Founded by Dr Amani Salim, a former NASA principal investigator, and Shamsul, an MIT‑trained computer scientist who previously worked as a commodities vice‑president at Morgan Stanley, the team returned to Malaysia because of the country’s strong materials capabilities, manufacturing depth and growing support for deep‑tech ventures. Malaysia accounts for roughly 13 % of global semiconductor assembly, testing and packaging, and the state‑owned fund Khazanah Nasional’s Dana Impak has earmarked RM 1 billion (US$247 million) for strategic investments in AI and semiconductor technologies.
Dr Salim explained that performance losses in modern systems often occur at the boundaries between materials, where heat, charge and signals concentrate. "Improving a small, critical interface can unlock much larger system gains while preserving the materials, equipment and manufacturing base already around it," he said.
Tin Men Capital’s Jeremy Tan, co‑founder and managing partner, noted that the investment marks the firm’s first backing of a Malaysian startup. "We have been spending considerable time in Malaysia’s tech ecosystem and are delighted to make our first investment in a startup like nanoSkunkWorkX," Tan said. He praised the team’s physics expertise, capital efficiency and ability to engage customers at the senior technical level.
nSWX was recently selected for the inaugural SemiconStart Malaysia cohort, led by the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) in partnership with Silicon Catalyst UK. The program aims to support package qualification and provide access to the global semiconductor industry. The company was also a finalist in the Baker Hughes Energy Ideas Generation Programme APAC in 2025.
At present, nSWX is focused on proving its interface technology to semiconductor partners and expanding its hydrogen and diagnostics programmes. The company has not announced a public launch date for nSD‑I, but it expects to begin pilot deployments in the coming months as part of its partner qualification efforts. No regulatory actions or court proceedings are currently associated with the company.
The seed round underscores growing investor interest in advanced materials solutions that address heat and current management challenges in AI chip packaging, a sector that is increasingly critical to global computing infrastructure.
