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Innovative smart energy technology provider Thermify is to establish a facility in South Wales, Economy Minister Vaughan Gething has announced.

The international company, headed by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Travis Theune, is due to move into Sony’s Pencoed site this month.

Thermify Cloud has designed a revolutionary low-carbon heating system that will provide households with affordable heating and hot water by using the waste heat from a bank of computers that are incorporated into the heating system.

Thermify Cloud is a distributed data centre in homes that carries out computation tasks for commercial companies (for example financial service companies, retailers and media companies); these tasks  generate heat, which is converted by the Thermify HeatHub for heating and hot water use, replacing conventional carbon emitting gas boilers.

The company will be collaborating with Swansea University’s SPECIFIC Innovation and Knowledge Centre, an industry leading energy technology research hub with full-scale demonstration capabilities.

Thermify’s HeatHub product uses 450 Raspberry Pi processors which are also manufactured at Sony’s Pencoed site. Thermify is aiming to produce 40,000 HeatHub units per annum within the next 3 to 5 years.

Welcoming Thermify to Wales, Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething said:

The Welsh Government has been working with the company for some time to secure their move to Wales. This is yet another example that Wales is firmly open for business and we will remain open and competitive for inward investors from around the world.

We’re determined to help create new green jobs in the industries of the future. We are really excited by emerging smart energy systems and how they are integrating and interlinking with transport and heat systems. Smart technology allows homes and businesses to generate, store and use energy in ways not previously available, a win for businesses, consumers and crucially the environment.

We recognise the international role played by our universities and the economic importance of the beneficial links they provide to the wider world through students, research and business relationships. Thermify will be able to benefit from Swansea University’s industry-leading SPECIFIC energy technology research and full-scale demonstration capabilities.

Travis Theune, CEO of Thermify Cloud said:

With the UK needing to move away from gas heating to reach Net Zero and switch to low-carbon heating, Thermify has a great solution to offer the market. Importantly, it gives customers an affordable heating system.  It will give households monthly savings on their energy bills, reduce their carbon footprint and support a cleaner environment.

The combination of low carbon, affordability and technology means that we have a fantastic opportunity to build a strong and long-term business in South Wales.

The support and encouragement of the Welsh Government has been immense, as were the responses from Sony, Raspberry Pi and Swansea University. They immediately saw the potential of our HeatHub system, not only in the UK but in overseas markets too, and they all wanted our HeatHub to be stamped Made in Wales.