An undergraduate student developing brain-inspired computer chips which could dramatically reduce the energy needed to run artificial intelligence (AI) has secured a major national sustainability award.
Adam Kosterka, Executive Director of Converge. Image Credit: Converge
Catalyst Neuromorphic has been crowned winner of the Net Zero Challenge at the Converge Awards. Founded by University of Aberdeen student Henry Shulayev Barnes, the venture has developed processors designed to bring high-performance AI to devices without the substantial power demands associated with conventional computing.
The technology addresses a rapidly emerging sustainability challenge. As AI becomes embedded across industries, the data centers supporting it consume increasing amounts of electricity, placing additional pressure on energy infrastructure.
Henry Shulayev Barnes, founder of Catalyst Neuromorphic, said: “I’m hoping to enhance AI and bring about a new era of low-power edge computing.”
Henry, an 18-year-old third-year chemical engineering student, added that the win had left him feeling “amazing”.
Rather than continuously processing information, Catalyst’s neuromorphic computing mimics how the brain processes information, activating only when needed rather than constantly running. This allows devices to perform AI tasks while consuming considerably less energy.
The approach could allow intelligence to operate directly on sensors and other devices rather than continually transferring information elsewhere for processing, cutting both power consumption and reliance on permanent connections.
The venture has already designed and validated multiple generations of its processor architecture and is working towards a physical prototype as it seeks to translate the technology into commercially manufactured chips. Catalyst is based in Aberdeen and led by Shulayev Barnes, who oversees its technology, commercial development and partnerships.
Its Net Zero Challenge success follows several months of development through Converge, which supports university entrepreneurs seeking to turn technically ambitious ideas into viable businesses capable of addressing major economic, environmental and societal challenges.
Adam Kosterka, Executive Director of Converge, said: “The ambition behind Catalyst Neuromorphic is remarkable, particularly from a founder at such an early stage in his career. Henry is taking on one of the defining sustainability questions created by the rapid growth of artificial intelligence and approaching it at the fundamental level of how computing itself is powered.
“For 15 years, Converge has helped bring talented people together with the expertise, connections and opportunities required to translate innovative thinking into sustainable businesses. Catalyst Neuromorphic demonstrates the extraordinary ideas emerging from Scotland’s universities and the scale of impact those founders are setting out to achieve.”
Runner-up in the Net Zero Challenge was TA Technologies, led by David Campos-Gaona of the University of Strathclyde, which is developing technology to make long-distance renewable energy transfer faster, easier and more cost-effective.
Its electromechanical system is designed to help move power from remote renewable sources, including offshore wind, to centers of demand more efficiently. By using equipment already available on the market, the technology could also be deployed more quickly than conventional alternatives.
David Campos-Gaona, project lead for TA Technologies, said: “What inspired me was that there was a lot of energy being wasted because it could not get connection to the power network. The bottleneck was transmission, and I had ideas about how to challenge that and began developing those into a commercial product.
“We have targets to get to net zero in 2030 and 2050, and the way we are going right now we will not meet them. If I can contribute to making those targets a reality, I will feel like my research was well spent.”
Together, Catalyst Neuromorphic and TA Technologies demonstrate the breadth of university-led innovation being directed towards the transition to net zero, by reducing the escalating energy demands of AI and unlocking more effective use of renewable electricity.
Formed in 2011, Converge has supported more than 1,000 aspiring academic entrepreneurs who have gone on to establish more than 500 companies.
Businesses taking part in the Converge program have a three-year survival rate of 86%, significantly above the national average. This reflects both the strength of innovation emerging from universities and the quality, support and rigor of the program.
Building on that milestone, Converge is preparing to launch Converge 2.0 in 2027, an evolved offering which will broaden its support and introduce more tailored, sector-specific pathways for ventures at an advanced stage of development.
The Converge Awards will remain at the heart of the program as it enters its next chapter, continuing to provide a national platform for university founders seeking to turn ambitious ideas into sustainable businesses capable of delivering meaningful impact.