We want to prolong our congratulations to this yr’s APAC Cleantech 25 awardees. In recent times, now we have coated intimately the meteoric rise of the APAC area throughout the world cleantech innovation panorama.
This yr’s APAC Cleantech 25 affords a glimpse into the following technology of innovation to emerge from the area, whereas the key sources of progress – primarily Chinese language photo voltaic and power 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 corporations had been capable of speed up by way 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 economic 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 rapidly 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 way of heavy-duty industrial vehicles and off-road industrial automobiles. Moreover, charging infrastructure and battery swapping options are reaching mass scale, facilitating simpler EV adoption and minimizing growth 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 economic system” initiatives highlighting this emphasis.
Electrical mobility infrastructure innovation extends past China as properly, as demonstrated by these examples from this yr’s APAC 25:
- Battery Sensible (India): Since its 2019 launch, has developed into India’s largest battery swapping community for two- and three-wheel automobiles
- Kwetta (New Zealand): Presents 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, typically seen as the long run’s beacon, had a breakthrough yr in 2024, that includes extra geographic variety in fundraising and extra selection in reactor varieties.
Undoubtedly, a part of this shift stems from traders changing into extra aware of fusion milestones and rising comfy with the financing necessities wanted to fund corporations by way of their subsequent milestones. This differs from earlier years when corporations acquired funding for smaller milestones, leading to down rounds and better capital prices.
Maybe extra vital, nonetheless, is the milestone progress being noticed throughout totally different reactor varieties. A number of examples from the APAC 25 embody:
- 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 numerous reactor varieties (magnetized goal, magnetic confinement, inertial confinement), with a number of testing amenities deliberate
After we initially mapped AI-for-cleantech corporations, 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 international locations making the best strides (China, Vietnam, India) stay removed from maximizing output per hour labored. Mixed with a tightening world economic system and rising overcapacity challenges in China, we anticipate course of and useful resource effectivity to change into high priorities for APAC corporations. AI gives 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 energy areas. This yr’s APAC Cleantech 25 contains instructive instances of localized fashions with world market potential:
- Cosmos Innovation (Hong Kong SAR): Leverages their inside 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): Gives an industrial effectivity AI platform geared toward lowering 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 similar to information facilities
Outdoors China, most APAC areas can’t deploy renewables on the identical tempo as AI growth (and its supporting infrastructure). Consequently, Asia-Pacific is quickly changing into aggressive floor for applied sciences lowering information heart power 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 tools (as seen in Singapore’s Inexperienced Knowledge Heart Roadmap). Latest funding developments clearly point out this chance is being acknowledged.
This yr’s APAC 25 options corporations addressing these pressing wants:
- Firmus Applied sciences (Singapore): Presents liquid-cooled information 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 move management throughout excessive electrical energy load websites, with modular and scalable designs providing further resilience by way of fault isolation capabilities
For years, essential supplies innovation has centered on two hypotheses:
1) Demand for battery, electrical motor, and energy electronics supplies will exceed provide in coming a long time, and
2) China’s provide focus would require different international locations to extend onshore provide
The second speculation is accelerating as world commerce tensions rise and beforehand dependable provide relationships face fracture dangers. The following 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 total worth chain with various geographic illustration:
- Fleet Area (Australia): Gives satellite-based essential mineral detection
- Component Zero (Australia): Presents 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., strong 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 way 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 on condition that so a lot of this yr’s APAC Cleantech 25 are innovating in applied sciences essential to the following a long time of sustainable business, we anticipate 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!