Sheetak Scales U.S. Thermoelectric Cooling Manufacturing in Austin to Meet AI Data Center Optics Demand

Austin, TX chip maker is adding local engineering jobs as demand climbs for micro-coolers that hold optical transceivers at their ideal operating temperature

AUSTIN, TX, UNITED STATES, September 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Sheetak, Inc., a thermoelectric cooling manufacturer that designs and builds its devices in Austin, is expanding production and hiring engineers to keep up with fast-growing demand for chip-scale cooling inside AI data center optics. The demand traces to a heat problem that room-level and rack-level cooling was never built to solve. It lives inside the optical components themselves, not the server rack or the room around them.

The lasers and optical engines inside network transceivers are what move data between racks of GPUs, and they only work correctly inside a narrow temperature window. A distributed-feedback laser drifts on the order of 0.08 to 0.12 nm for every degree Celsius of temperature change, enough to push a channel off its assigned wavelength and corrupt the link. With millions of these components going into data centers, each one needs localized cooling that a chilled-water loop or a rack fan cannot efficiently reach.

Sheetak’s µCENTUM™ micro-TEC line is built for this exact job. The modules start at 3.6 by 4.7mm with a 1.45mm profile, mount directly onto transceiver and photonic packages, and hold temperature to within ±0.01°C under closed-loop control, with thermal time constants measured in seconds for fast correction. That is precision at a scale a macro cooling system cannot provide, placed directly at one of the heat sources.

Beyond standard geometries, Sheetak works directly with major developers of optical transceivers and data center optical infrastructure to design custom thermoelectric solutions matched to each customer’s package, power budget, and performance targets. The company runs thermoelectric materials, device engineering, and manufacturing under one Austin roof, a vertically integrated model that supports ITAR-aligned programs and customers’ domestic-sourcing requirements. The same coolers are used in aerospace, defense, medical devices, and industrial systems wherever an optical engine needs active thermal control.

“Our customers can’t afford a thermal failure at the component level, so we work directly with their engineering teams to design and manufacture parts that fit their exact package and performance requirements,” said Kurt Devlin, Chief Revenue Officer at Sheetak. “That kind of close partnership is why we’re growing here in Austin and bringing on more local engineers to keep up with demand.”

AI infrastructure has become the fastest-growing segment of Sheetak’s business. To meet the demand, the company is adding engineers at its Austin headquarters across thermal design and manufacturing, expanding a U.S.-based workforce that already builds and ships thermoelectric coolers, generators, controllers, and integrated thermal assemblies into photonics, telecommunications, aerospace, defense, computing, and medical markets.

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About Sheetak, Inc.

Based in Austin, Texas, Sheetak designs and manufactures advanced thermoelectric coolers, thermoelectric generators, TEC controllers, and integrated thermal assemblies for high-performance electronics. Sheetak pairs in-house thermoelectric materials and device engineering with U.S.-based, vertically integrated manufacturing and ITAR-aligned program support, backed by more than 25 issued patents. The company delivers precision thermal management for photonics, telecommunications, data centers and AI hardware, aerospace, defense, medical devices, and industrial systems, with simulation-driven design and prototype lead times of three to six weeks. Learn more at https://sheetak.com.

Shaun Gameroz
Sheetak, Inc.
+1 512-851-0094
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