Prototype of the ‘world’s first fluid circuit board’ can be physically rewired in less than a minute, startup claims — could make hardware iteration 1,000 times faster than traditional PCB
Source: Tom’s Hardware
Itera, a deep‑tech startup that has just emerged from stealth, claims to have built “the world’s first fluid circuit board.” According to an email to Tom’s Hardware, the company’s technology uses electrowetting to precisely control liquid‑metal alloys on a glass substrate with electric fields. This approach allows engineers to physically rewire a circuit in less than a minute, potentially making hardware iteration cycles up to 1,000× faster than traditional printed‑circuit‑board (PCB) prototyping while still using real electronic components.
“Software developers have been able to write code, test, and iterate in real time for decades. Itera makes real‑time design and iteration possible for hardware too,” said AJ Cooper, CEO and co‑founder of Itera. “Hardware has always been hard because it is permanent. Changing it requires time and money. Itera is making hardware easy. For the first time ever, an engineer can change a circuit and test it again before their coffee gets cold.”
How the Fluid Circuit Board Works
Itera’s patented architecture combines a glass substrate with liquid‑metal traces that can be moved and reconfigured by applying electric fields (electrowetting). The liquid metal acts as a reprogrammable conductor, enabling rapid physical rewiring without the need for new PCB fabrication.
- Speed: Reconfiguration of the circuit can be completed in under a minute.
- Cost: Eliminates the time‑ and material‑intensive steps of traditional PCB prototyping.
- Real‑world behavior: Uses actual components and real electrical characteristics, unlike purely simulated environments.
For more background on liquid‑metal technologies, see Tom’s Hardware’s article on liquid metal thermal compounds.
Funding and Early Partnerships
- Seed funding: $12 million raised from Upfront Ventures, Costanoa Ventures, and Colle Capital.
- First production run: Reserved by a “top 5 global automotive OEM and defense neoprimes.”
- Interest from: A leading hyperscaler and multiple chipset manufacturers.
Business Model: Electronics‑as‑a‑Service
Itera plans to operate an Electronics‑as‑a‑Service (EaaS) model:
- Design submission: Customers submit circuit designs.
- Assembly: Real components are placed on Itera’s multilayer, reprogrammable glass substrates at secure U.S.–based testing centers.
- Reconfiguration: When a design changes, the liquid‑metal traces are re‑routed to match the new layout, and the assembled hardware is tested again.
This model aims to bring software‑speed iteration to hardware development, reducing both time‑to‑market and development costs.
Itera’s claims are ambitious, and the company’s backing suggests it could become a notable player in rapid hardware prototyping.