Casimir Inc. has emerged from stealth with a $12 million oversubscribed seed funding round aimed at commercializing what the company describes as the world’s first quantum vacuum energy semiconductor chip capable of generating continuous electrical power without batteries, charging, or wired connections.
The funding round, led by Scout Ventures, exceeded its original $8 million target, reflecting growing investor interest in next-generation energy technologies and ultra-low-power electronics. Additional investors include Lavrock Ventures, Cottonwood Technology, Capital Factory, American Deep Tech, and Tim Draper.
Casimir said the funding will support performance optimization and commercialization efforts for its first-generation MicroSparc chip, with initial market availability targeted for 2028.
The company’s technology is based on the Casimir effect, a quantum physics phenomenon associated with fluctuations in vacuum energy fields. Casimir claims its engineered semiconductor architecture can harvest energy from these quantum vacuum fields to generate persistent electrical power.
The MicroSparc chip measures approximately 5mm by 5mm and is designed to deliver 1.5 volts at 25 microamps, performance levels comparable to a small rechargeable battery. However, unlike conventional batteries, the chip is intended to operate continuously without degradation or replacement cycles.
Initial commercial applications are expected to focus on ultra-low-power electronics such as tire pressure monitoring systems, embedded industrial sensors, wearables, and other devices where battery replacement remains expensive or operationally difficult. According to the company, the current addressable market for these applications is valued at nearly $10 billion.
Casimir stated that its long-term roadmap extends beyond IoT and sensor applications into consumer electronics, electric mobility systems, and larger-scale energy platforms intended for residential and commercial infrastructure. The company estimates the broader market opportunity could exceed $67 billion as demand grows for persistent low-power computing systems supporting artificial intelligence, autonomous devices, and edge computing environments.
Harold Sonny White, a former NASA advanced propulsion researcher, said the company’s technology emerged from nearly two decades of research into advanced energy systems and quantum vacuum physics. He stated that advances in engineering and materials science have enabled the company to translate theoretical quantum vacuum concepts into practical semiconductor hardware capable of persistent power generation.
Casimir’s technology was incubated at the Limitless Space Institute, founded by Kam Ghaffarian. Dr. White currently serves as the institute’s Director of Advanced Research and Development. Ghaffarian, who has backed ventures including X-energy, Intuitive Machines, Axiom Space, and Quantum Space, remains an investor and board member of Casimir.
The company said its scientific foundation has been supported through DARPA-funded nanofabrication research, university collaborations, and peer-reviewed research into dynamic quantum vacuum systems. In March 2026, Dr. White published a paper in Physical Review Research outlining theoretical mechanisms behind engineered Casimir cavities and their ability to generate usable electrical energy.
Casimir said it is actively collaborating with commercial, academic, and government partners to explore dual-use applications related to energy resilience, national security, and advanced electronics manufacturing in the United States.
