We want to prolong our congratulations to this yr’s APAC Cleantech 25 awardees. In recent times, we have now lined intimately the meteoric rise of the APAC area throughout the world cleantech innovation panorama.
This yr’s APAC Cleantech 25 provides a glimpse into the following era of innovation to emerge from the area, whereas the most important sources of progress – primarily Chinese language photo voltaic and vitality storage – have just lately reached industrial maturity.
The headline funding numbers inform two tales: One across the velocity with which Chinese language photo voltaic and storage firms had been in a position to speed up by means of, and out of, the fairness financing continuum to scale, and one other concerning the velocity with which the area (China and past) is laying the groundwork for an electrified financial system at scale.
Look to the examples of innovation in electrical mobility infrastructure on this yr’s APAC Cleantech 25 as a sign of the area’s means to shortly undertake progressive expertise within the mainstream.
APAC’s EV innovation has persistently been centered in China, however we’re now observing enlargement past simply on-road automobiles.
The electrification wave is sweeping by means of heavy-duty business vans and off-road industrial automobiles. Moreover, charging infrastructure and battery swapping options are reaching mass scale, facilitating simpler EV adoption and minimizing improvement dangers for electrical heavy-duty and industrial automobiles.
For the APAC area, 2024 marked the strongest yr but in electrical vertical take-off and touchdown (EVTol) and unmanned aerial automobile (UAV) investments – with China’s “low-altitude financial system” initiatives highlighting this emphasis.
Electrical mobility infrastructure innovation extends past China as nicely, as demonstrated by these examples from this yr’s APAC 25:
- Battery Good (India): Since its 2019 launch, has advanced into India’s largest battery swapping community for two- and three-wheel automobiles
- Kwetta (New Zealand): Gives modular EV, fleet, and bus charging depots with out requiring grid upgrades
Whereas most Vitality & Energy innovation sectors skilled fundraising declines over the previous two years, fusion stands as a notable exception. At Cleantech Group, we’ve noticed that this expertise, usually considered as the long run’s beacon, had a breakthrough yr in 2024, that includes extra geographic variety in fundraising and extra selection in reactor sorts.
Undoubtedly, a part of this shift stems from traders turning into extra accustomed to fusion milestones and rising comfy with the financing necessities wanted to fund firms by means of their subsequent milestones. This differs from earlier years when firms acquired funding for smaller milestones, leading to down rounds and better capital prices.
Maybe extra vital, nonetheless, is the milestone progress being noticed throughout completely different reactor sorts. A number of examples from the APAC 25 embrace:
- Startorus Fusion (China): This spherical tokomak firm, launched from Tsinghua College, reported being first worldwide to attain an optimized spherical tokamak plasma configuration in 2024
- Openstar Applied sciences (New Zealand): Their levitated dipole reactor achieved first plasma in November 2024
- Kyoto Fusioneering (Japan) (2024 APAC Cleantech 25 firm): Although not a reactor firm, they develop parts and supply fusion plant design and engineering for varied reactor sorts (magnetized goal, magnetic confinement, inertial confinement), with a number of testing services deliberate
After we initially mapped AI-for-cleantech firms, we observed a stunning lack of APAC innovators. Our speculation was that many merely weren’t but in a stage of market-facing publicity. This was partially confirmed by Deepseek’s bulletins in late January 2025.
Whereas industrial effectivity has improved considerably throughout a lot of APAC, even nations making the best strides (China, Vietnam, India) stay removed from maximizing output per hour labored. Mixed with a tightening world financial system and rising overcapacity challenges in China, we count on course of and useful resource effectivity to grow to be prime priorities for APAC firms. AI supplies momentum for companies already on this enchancment trajectory.
The rising APAC AI-for-cleantech ecosystem is addressing extremely localized issues whereas extending past conventional cleantech power areas. This yr’s APAC Cleantech 25 contains instructive circumstances of localized fashions with world market potential:
- Cosmos Innovation (Hong Kong SAR): Leverages their inner AI (Mobius) for supplies discovery and course of optimization in perovkskite/tandem photo voltaic cells manufacturing, enhancing photo voltaic cell efficiency whereas controlling R&D prices
- Ecolibrium (India): Supplies an industrial effectivity AI platform geared toward decreasing course of waste and operational prices in high-volume, low-margin industries like commodity manufacturing and mining, whereas additionally working to optimize high-load websites reminiscent of knowledge facilities
Exterior China, most APAC areas can’t deploy renewables on the similar tempo as AI improvement (and its supporting infrastructure). Consequently, Asia-Pacific is quickly turning into aggressive floor for applied sciences decreasing knowledge middle vitality consumption.
APAC innovators have alternatives throughout the spectrum—from energy-efficient AI-supporting chips and semiconductors, to deep cooling of compute operations and extra environment friendly IT gear (as seen in Singapore’s Inexperienced Knowledge Middle Roadmap). Current funding developments clearly point out this chance is being acknowledged.
This yr’s APAC 25 options firms addressing these pressing wants:
- Firmus Applied sciences (Singapore): Gives liquid-cooled knowledge facilities (each retrofits and new builds) and low-carbon internet hosting options with their Sustainable Steel Cloud service
- Amperesand (Singapore): Develops solid-state transformers that present extra granular energy circulation management throughout excessive electrical energy load websites, with modular and scalable designs providing further resilience by means of fault isolation capabilities
For years, crucial supplies innovation has centered on two hypotheses:
1) Demand for battery, electrical motor, and energy electronics supplies will exceed provide in coming many years, and
2) China’s provide focus would require different nations to extend onshore provide
The second speculation is accelerating as world commerce tensions rise and beforehand dependable provide relationships face fracture dangers. The subsequent 5 years will definitely see elevated demand-side insecurity round these challenges.
Addressing each challenges requires improved mining effectivity and precision, new refining strategies, and supplies restoration from waste. This yr’s APAC 25 showcases the complete worth chain with numerous geographic illustration:
- Fleet Area (Australia): Supplies satellite-based crucial mineral detection
- Component Zero (Australia): Gives non-aqueous electrochemical processing of ores (iron, nickel, silica) into excessive worth supplies
- 3DC (Japan): Produces three-dimensional graphene materials sponge relevant in present lithium-ion batteries and future chemistries (e.g., stable state)
- Poen (Korea): Makes a speciality of spent and broken battery evaluation, remanufacturing, and re-purposing
- Lohum (India): Focuses on battery recycling and restoration of lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite by means of a hydrometallurgical course of
As of time of writing, the quick acceleration of worldwide commerce fractures is making the opportunity of “regional expertise spheres” much more probably. Particularly provided that so lots of this yr’s APAC Cleantech 25 are innovating in applied sciences essential to the following many years of sustainable trade, we count on to see the developments named above intensify even additional.
We as soon as once more congratulate all of this yr’s APAC Cleantech 25 award recipients!
