Element Six, part of De Beers Group, is establishing a transformational technology solutions business, leveraging synthetic diamonds to unlock new opportunities in high value industries such as quantum technologies, semiconductors and water purification
Last month, Element Six, a world-leading synthetic diamond company and part of the De Beers Group, announced an investment in Lightsynq, a new quantum interconnect startup founded by Harvard PhDs and former research leads at the AWS Center for Quantum Networking.
This is just one example of how Element Six is shaping the future of several high-tech industries through new synthetic diamond-enabled solutions.
Recent Partnership Developments
Since June 2024, when De Beers announced that Element Six will enhance its focus on delivering high-tech industrial solutions as part of the company’s wider Origins strategy, several key collaborations have been announced:
In June, Element Six announced a partnership with Orbray, a leading manufacturer based in Japan, to create the world’s highest quality wafer-scale single crystal diamond. This pioneering advancement will have the ability to manage the unprecedented demands on power and energy efficiency generated by applications such AI and telecommunications, and has the potential to open up disruptive industrial opportunities in areas such as 6G wireless components and RF electronics.
In July, Element Six announced a partnership with US-based Lummus Technology to introduce innovative methods for eliminating ‘PFAS’ – harmful ‘forever chemicals’ – from water. PFAS have been used for decades in consumer products, from carpets to cookware, to repel water, protect surfaces and resist heat. However, they take hundreds of years to degrade, can pollute our water supplies, and have been linked to cancer and other deadly diseases. Element Six and Lummus are now combining their patented technologies to create electrodes made from synthetic diamonds which are extremely effective in destroying PFAS, leaving water that is pure enough to drink.
In September, Element Six announced its selection for a new programme established by the United States Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), to accelerate the next generation of semiconductor technologies. The programme is focused on developing ultra-wide band gap semiconductors, which enable technologies to operate at much higher temperatures and voltages than traditional semiconductor materials. These materials are key to realising a range of advanced electronics, underpinning a multibillion-dollar market.
November’s Lightsynq announcement sees Element Six investing in a new US-based startup that is building faster and more robust solutions to scale quantum computing, unlocking several factors of computational capabilities in sectors such as chemistry and cybersecurity. In recent years, scientific research has focused on single, small-scale quantum computers, but their use in real-world commercial applications has been limited because of the challenges associated with scaling individual systems. However, Element Six’s engineered synthetic diamonds, thanks to their stability and the way they interact with light, will enable the solutions needed to create complex quantum connections.
As synthetic diamond paves the way towards novel applications for advanced technologies in high value markets, Element Six will continue to focus on commercialising synthetic diamond-enabled technology solutions, working in partnership with its global network of partners.
Siobhán Duffy, CEO of Element Six, said: “Synthetic diamond has the potential to shape our future – from the water we drink to the internet connections our societies rely on. Element Six is proud to have innovation in its DNA; we’ve been a leader in the field for many decades and will continue to drive new opportunities and exciting applications through our pioneering synthetic diamond solutions and technology. We look forward to announcing more high impact partnerships as we continue to harness the industrial potential of synthetic diamonds and Element Six.”
