Refresh cycles are collapsing
High-density GPU racks compete for power and floor space, so hyperscalers retire CPU servers and early accelerator cards on two- to three-year cycles instead of four to six.
In operation
reChip
Retired AI hardware, remanufactured at board and chip level.
reChip recovers servers, accelerator boards, memory and storage from AI data centers, robotic fleets and smart medical equipment. Certified partner facilities run the automated test and repair lines. Circunar runs the traceability software and manages every asset from rack to resale.
- Asset classes
- AI data centers, robotics, smart medical equipment
- Circunar delivers
- Traceability software and ITAD lifecycle management
- Partners deliver
- Certified, automated remanufacturing lines
Why now
Retired hardware is no longer scrap.
AI build-outs are pushing general-purpose servers and early accelerators out of service years ahead of schedule. What comes out of the rack is now high-value inventory, and the rules for handling it are tightening.
The value sits in components
Enterprise NVMe SSDs, DDR4 and DDR5 modules, CPUs, GPUs, network cards and 800G optics are worth far more than the metal around them, but only if they are tested and re-certified rather than shredded.
Custody and data rules are tightening
Buyers require NIST SP 800-88 and IEEE 2883 sanitization, serial-level chain of custody and Scope 3 reporting, and increasingly expect sensitive hardware to be processed onshore.
Industry estimates: North America accounts for more than 40% of the global data center ITAD market, which exceeds $5 billion a year there and is growing about 10–11% annually.
What we recover
Three asset classes, one recovery program.
AI data centers (AIDC)
Servers and full racks, GPU and accelerator boards, DRAM modules, NVMe and U.2 SSDs, network cards and 800G optical modules, liquid-cooled systems.
Includes safe coolant drain-down and non-destructive teardown of liquid-cooled racks.
Robotics
Compute and controller boards, motor drives, edge AI modules and sensor electronics from retired robot fleets.
Firmware, site maps and operating data are wiped before any part leaves custody.
Smart medical equipment
Imaging and diagnostic electronics, monitoring and edge compute units, embedded storage.
Storage is sanitized and documented to support the client's HIPAA obligations.
How it works
Six steps from rack to resale.
- 01
Intake and serialization
Assets are scanned on site by serial number, and each one gets a digital product passport before it moves.
- 02
Certified sanitization
Drives and embedded storage are wiped to NIST SP 800-88 and IEEE 2883, or physically destroyed where required, with a certificate for every serial.
- 03
Automated test and grading
Partner lines run machine-vision inspection, burn-in and performance testing to grade every board and component.
- 04
Board- and chip-level remanufacturing
Faulty boards are reworked down to the component. Memory and storage are re-screened and re-certified, and parts that fail move to a lower grade rather than to scrap.
- 05
Remarketing and redeployment
Certified hardware returns to market as pre-owned systems, as spares for third-party maintenance providers, or as capacity for smaller clouds, research and edge deployments.
- 06
Material recovery
What cannot be reused goes to certified recyclers for precious-metal recovery, with zero landfill.
Operating model
Partners run the lines. Circunar runs the asset.
reChip uses the certified facilities and automated lines that established service providers already operate. Circunar adds the software and lifecycle management that turn those facilities into one accountable program for the client.
Circunar
- Circular traceability software: serial-level passport and chain of custody from rack to resale
- ITAD program management: scheduling, logistics coordination, sanitization oversight and audit
- Asset management: valuation, grading rules, remarketing and settlement
- Reporting: ESG, Scope 3 and waste-diversion records
Remanufacturing partners
- Certified electronics reuse and recycling facilities
- Automated test, sorting and rework lines
- Micro-soldering, component replacement and re-certification
- Downstream material recovery
What the client receives
- One contract and one point of accountability
- Data destruction certificate for every serial
- Chain-of-custody log
- Value-recovery settlement report
- ESG and Scope 3 records
More circular infrastructure
CPOCPO Standards42-point mechanical and electrical re-engineering for Circunar-managed robots.ViewResearch and pilotreRoboticsSecond-Life RoboticsAI-guided disassembly and refurbishment of retired robots, developed with US university labs.ViewPartner networkreBatteryBattery Recycling NetworkTesting, life prediction and passport-traced recovery for storage and traction batteries.View
Discuss a reChip program
Tell us which assets, volumes and sites are involved, and we will scope a recovery program.