Boréas Technologies Awarded $1M in FABrIC Funding to Develop Active Cooling Technology for Edge AI Devices

Federal investment will accelerate development of a purpose-built piezo micropump driver IC and reference design, strengthening Canada's semiconductor ecosystem and enabling the next generation of AI-capable consumer devices.

Bromont, Québec — May 11, 2026 — Boréas Technologies Inc., an award-winning fabless semiconductor company, today announced it has been selected to receive $1,000,000 in funding through FABrIC, a Strategic Response Fund initiative of the Government of Canada managed by CMC Microsystems. The funding will support Boréas's Active Cooling for Edge AI Computing project under the IoT Device Challenges – Edge-AI Computing stream.

The investment recognizes Boréas's leadership in piezoelectric IC technology and positions the company to address one of the most pressing challenges in consumer electronics: the thermal limits of running advanced AI computation directly on edge devices such as laptops, tablets, smartphones and smart glasses.

"Local AI computation on edge AI devices, whether for performance or data privacy, demands new approaches to thermal management," said Simon Chaput, Founder and CEO of Boréas Technologies. "By supporting Boréas Technologies' Active Cooling for Edge AI Computing project, the Canadian government is investing in a strategic technology that will enable our industrial partners to push the thermal envelope of edge AI devices, while strengthening Canada's semiconductor ecosystem."

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Addressing the Edge AI Thermal Wall

As AI workloads shift from the cloud onto local devices, more transistors are doing more work in increasingly thin form factors — and the physical limits of passive cooling have become the bottleneck. Boréas's project will deliver a new piezo micropump driver IC paired with an application-level reference design, both engineered specifically for edge AI workloads.

The new IC will be smaller, more power-efficient, and lower-cost than current alternatives. Several companies have already reached mass production by adapting Boréas's existing haptic driver IC to cooling applications, validating the underlying piezoelectric approach and underscoring the opportunity for a purpose-built solution. Together, the IC and reference design will reduce hot-spot temperatures by several degrees — directly enabling the additional on-device AI computation that thin edge devices increasingly require.

Building Canadian Capacity

The project reinforces Boréas's commitment to a resilient North American supply chain and to building semiconductor capabilities in Canada. Boréas is collaborating with Canadian PCB manufacturers Canadian Circuits Inc. and Circuits Imprimés de la Capitale, as well as Usinage EGC, a Granby, Quebec-based machine shop, for prototype building and validation. The company will also work with C2MI in Bromont to accelerate qualification and failure analysis activities.

The project builds on Boréas's track record of training undergraduate and graduate students from Quebec universities in digital design, layout, application engineering, test engineering and embedded software — developing the specialized talent that Canada's semiconductor sector requires to compete globally.

High-value intellectual property generated through this project will be filed in key markets worldwide, ensuring Canadian-designed ICs are deployed in tens of millions of devices around the globe.

About FABrIC

FABrIC: A generational investment by the Government of Canada

FABrIC is a Strategic Response Fund initiative of the Government of Canada to advance domestic capabilities in advanced semiconductor design and manufacturing.

Managed by CMC Microsystems, FABrIC galvanizes national strengths in photonics, MEMS, compound semiconductors and quantum technologies, accelerating commercialization and amplifying Canada’s competitive advantages by maximizing the economic impact of its semiconductor sector.

Marquee programs include Challenge funding, the Quantum Computing Sandbox and Training. Challenge funding supports the development of fabrication processes and IoT products that build national capacity. The Quantum Computing Sandbox is Canada’s first program to enable access to state-of-the-art quantum computing platforms. The FABrIC training portfolio provides specialized skills development for graduate students, early and mid-career professionals in the highly technical and demanding processes of the semiconductor sector.
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About Boréas Technologies

Boréas Technologies Inc. is an award-winning fabless semiconductor company commercializing ultra-low-power piezo IC platforms and microfluidic cooling solutions for smartglasses, consumer electronics and automotive markets. With origins in research conducted at Harvard University, Boréas was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Bromont, Québec, supported by a global distribution network. Powered by its patented CapDrive® technology and backed by 30+ patents and over two million units deployed worldwide, the company enables high-definition haptic buttons for smart eyewear, server-grade thermal management for Edge AI devices, and responsive tactile feedback across PC trackpads, smartphones, wearables and automotive HMIs.

For more information, visit boreas.ca or follow Boréas on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:

Marc-André Morin

Boréas Technologies

Email: info@boreas.ca

Web: www.boreas.ca