HPQ Silicon’s 2025 focused on commercialization, validating fumed silica and battery technologies, streamlining priorities, and positioning the company for execution in 2026.
HPQ Silicon Inc. closed 2025 with a corporate update that underscored a pivotal shift in direction, marking the year as one defined by sharper strategic focus, rigorous technical validation, and a clearer route toward commercialization. The company, known for its work in advanced materials and next-generation manufacturing processes, used the year to realign its priorities toward technologies with strong market relevance and realistic near-term revenue potential.
According to Chairman, President and CEO Bernard Tourillon, 2025 represented a decisive transition from broad-based research and development to execution-driven commercial intent. Management concentrated resources on platforms capable of delivering tangible economic value while preserving the technical rigor that has long characterized HPQ’s innovation culture. This balance, Tourillon emphasized, was essential to preparing the company for sustainable growth.
One of the most significant advancements during the year was achieved through the Fumed Silica Reactor (FSR) program, developed via HPQ Silica Polvere Inc. in collaboration with PyroGenesis. Over the course of 2025, the FSR advanced from pilot commissioning to industrially relevant validation. The reactor successfully produced fumed silica at pilot scale, with independent verification confirming that the material’s morphology and surface area matched commercial benchmarks under BET testing standards. Progress was also made toward semi-continuous operation and higher throughput, reinforcing confidence in the system’s scalability.
These milestones validated HPQ’s core thesis: that fumed silica can be produced in a single step using a plasma-based process that consumes less energy and generates a lower carbon footprint than traditional multi-step manufacturing routes. With global demand for fumed silica expanding across batteries, electronics, advanced materials, and increasingly data center and AI infrastructure, HPQ views the FSR as well positioned to address capacity constraints inherent in legacy production methods.
Parallel progress was made in battery materials through HPQ’s strategic partnership with Novacium SAS. In early 2025, Novacium’s GEN3 silicon-based anode materials demonstrated the ability to retain high capacity beyond 1,000 charge cycles when tested in commercially sized 18650 lithium-ion lab cells. This performance surpassed leading graphite-based cells by more than 30%, while remaining compatible with existing battery manufacturing processes.
During the second half of the year, the program moved beyond laboratory validation into commercial-scale cell production. HPQ and Novacium successfully manufactured 18650 and 21700 lithium-ion cells incorporating GEN3 anodes, leading to the launch of the HPQ ENDURA+ battery platform and completion of required commercial certifications. These achievements marked a clear transition from upstream materials innovation to downstream industrial execution.
The battery initiative received further validation in September 2025 when the Government of Canada awarded up to $3 million in funding under the Energy Innovation Program administered by Natural Resources Canada. The funding will support capital investment and accelerate construction of HPQ’s first continuous production system, targeting an initial capacity of 50 tonnes per year of silicon-based anode materials.
Beyond batteries, HPQ continued to expand its strategic optionality through hydrogen-related technologies developed by Novacium, including the METAGENE™ autonomous hydrogen production platform and waste-to-energy processes converting industrial by-products into hydrogen. While still at earlier stages of commercialization, these initiatives demonstrated technical viability and long-term relevance, particularly for decentralized energy and circular-economy applications.
Strategic discipline also meant making difficult decisions. Following a year-end review, HPQ elected to conclude development of its Quartz Reduction Reactor (QRR) silicon metal program. Although technically successful, management determined that its capital intensity and extended timelines were misaligned with the company’s near- and medium-term commercialization objectives. Resources were therefore redirected toward initiatives with clearer paths to revenue.
As HPQ enters 2026, it does so with a streamlined portfolio, validated technologies, strengthened partnerships, and a defined operational roadmap. Management’s focus now shifts from transition to execution—advancing ready technologies, evaluating scale-up opportunities, and converting technical progress into sustainable shareholder value.
