Cardinal Volta wins U of T Catalyst Prize to turn data centre waste heat into power
What's the deal? Cardinal VoltaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a University of Toronto EngineeringDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → startup, has been named the Stage 2 recipient of the Eva and Allen Lau Commercialization Catalyst Prize. The non-dilutive grant, hosted by U of T's Centre for Entrepreneurship, is matched by the Faculty of Arts & Science and the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. The company captures heat that data centres and industrial facilities already produce and converts it into electricity without burning more fuel.
Why now? "AI and advanced computing are becoming power-constrained," the team says. As electricity demand outpaces grid capacity, cooling servers is no longer the only challenge — supplying enough reliable power is too.
What's the endgame? Cardinal Volta's early modelling suggests a large AI data centre campus could produce up to 15% more usable power by recovering its own waste heat. For a two-gigawatt site, that means up to 300 megawatts of extra capacity, roughly US$190.7M in annual electricity value, and 1.1 million tonnes of avoided carbon emissions each year versus natural gas.
Who's behind it? The company was co-founded by professor Aimy Bazylak of U of T's Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering and alumnus Nan Ge. Bazylak brings expertise in thermal sciences and energy systems; Ge brings product development, manufacturing, and project finance experience from the energy and cleantech sectors.
What's the prize? The Catalyst Prize was established in 2025 through a $2 million gift from U of T alumni Eva Lau and Allen Lau. It aims to bridge the gap between an early invention and an investment-ready venture, offering workshops, mentorship, workspace, and prototyping labs alongside the funding.
What's next? Over the coming months, Stage 2 support will help Cardinal Volta pursue two goals: identifying the most valuable use for recovered heat inside a data centre, and understanding how these facilities buy new technology.
The signal: As AI compute strains power grids, the industry is hunting for capacity anywhere it can find it — including the heat it currently pays to throw away. "The opportunity was not simply to improve an energy device," Ge says. "It was to build a company that helps power-constrained sectors, including computing, unlock new capacity from energy that is already being wasted."
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