Korean nuclear research spinoff becomes first domestic firm selected for Amazon climate tech accelerator

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute announced Monday that Naeil Technology, a startup spun out of the institute, has been selected for the 2026 Amazon Device Climate Tech Accelerator (ADCTA) program.

The ADCTA is designed to accelerate the integration of technologies that can help reduce carbon emissions from Amazon Device products, and is open to companies of any size.

This year, the program drew hundreds of technology companies from around the world through a multi-stage screening process — document review, presentation evaluation and in-person technical assessment — before selecting 15 finalists. Naeil Technology is the first South Korean company to make the cut.

Naeil Technology holds synthesis and production technology for boron nitride nanotubes (BNNT), a next-generation nanomaterial attracting growing attention across multiple industries.

BNNT is a nanotube made with nitrogen and boron instead of carbon, offering exceptional thermal conductivity, elasticity, strength, thermal and chemical stability, and space radiation shielding. The material has potential applications across semiconductors, electronic components, energy, aerospace and biotech.

The company has been making its mark on the global stage — last year it secured strategic investment from Denka, a global Japanese materials firm. Its BNNT-coated ceramic cluster powder, a high-thermal-dissipation filler for semiconductor packaging, has earned recognition from semiconductor and materials companies at home and abroad.

Through the ADCTA program, Naeil Technology plans to verify whether its BNNT material technology can help reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions in the production of Amazon Device consumer electronics.

"Through the ADCTA program, we will look for ways to use BNNT materials — starting with Amazon Device — to improve energy efficiency and cut carbon emissions across the broader consumer electronics industry," said Kim Jae-woo, CEO of Naeil Technology.