Name

SunPower

Legal name

Sunpower, Inc.

Website

https://sunpowerinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cryogenic Cooling Equipment

NAICS

Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing (336414), Air and Gas Compressor Manufacturing (333912)

SIC

Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts (3760), Motors & Generators (3621)

akta.pro primary industry

Cryocoolers & Refrigeration Units (HDAGABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cryogenic Systems & Cryostats (HDAGABAA), Sample Preparation, Storage & Cryogenics (Freezers, Cryovials, Cryostats) (HLAGAIAJ)

Keywords

• Stirling cryocoolers
• Free-piston engines
• Cryogenic cooling systems
• Spaceflight cryocoolers
• Vibration cancellation systems

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. CryoTel Cryocooler Sales: Sunpower generates revenue primarily from the sale of its CryoTel line of Stirling cryocoolers, including models DS Mini, MT, CT, GT, GTLT, DS30, and spaceflight variants. These are precision cooling devices sold to customers in aerospace, defense, medical, instrumentation, and research markets. The company also offers engineering services for prototype design, development and fabrication of free-piston Stirling engines.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Sunpower designs, manufactures, and sells the CryoTel line of free-piston Stirling cryocoolers (DS Mini, MT, CT, GT, GTLT, DS 30) for cryogenic cooling applications across the 35K–250K range. The company also develops spaceflight-qualified cryocooler variants and provides engineering services for prototype design, development, and fabrication of free-piston Stirling engines. Core customers include aerospace, defense, medical, scientific instrumentation, and nuclear instrumentation markets.

Product overview

SunPower offers a unified portfolio of Free-Piston Stirling cryocoolers and engines under the CryoTel brand. The product line includes the DS Mini (entry-level, 1.8W), MT (mid-tier, 5W), CT (standard, 11W), GT (high-power, 16W), GTLT (sub-30K variant), and DS 30 (dual-split, 32W) — all using Sunpower's proprietary gas bearing and linear alternator technologies. Spaceflight-qualified versions (designated with '-S') are available for aerospace applications. Add-on options include Active Vibration Cancellation (AVC) systems, vacuum flanges, and heat rejection solutions. The company also manufactures free-piston Stirling engines for power generation applications and licenses its technology for micro combined heat and power (mCHP) markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CryoTel: Line of Stirling cryocoolers including DS Mini, MT, CT, GT, GTLT, and DS 30 models.
• AVC (Active Vibration Cancellation)

Products and services

• CryoTel DS Mini Small dual-split (DS) Stirling cryocooler featuring dual-opposed pressure wave generator pistons and split cold head to minimize exported vibration. Provides 1.8W nominal cooling at 77K with 45W input power and reaches below 40K. Targets compact instrument integration with low vibration requirements.
• CryoTel MT Mid-tier integral Stirling cryocooler based on the CT design, providing 5W @77K nominal heat lift with 80W input power. Designed for applications requiring smaller size and weight than the CT. In production since 2003.
• CryoTel CT Standard integral Stirling cryocooler providing 11W @77K nominal heat lift with 160W input power and lowest temperature below 40K. First commercialized CryoTel product, originally deployed in telecommunications.
• CryoTel GT Higher-power integral Stirling cryocooler providing 16W @77K nominal heat lift with 240W input power using Generation 2 controller. Qualified for the U.S. Army Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) program and known for MTTF exceeding 200,000 hours.
• CryoTel GTLT Sub-30K variant of the GT cryocooler with identical physical envelope but optimized materials and regenerator structure. Provides no-load temperature of 28K or lower, with approximately 1W cooling at 30K and 3W cooling at 35K.
• CryoTel DS 30 High-power dual-split Stirling cryocooler providing 32W @77K nominal heat lift with 480W input power. Operates across 35 to 250 Kelvin temperature range. Optimized for applications where size, weight, power (SWAP), and reliability are critical.
• Spaceflight Cryocoolers (CT-S, MT-S, GT-S, DS30-S) Spaceflight-qualified versions of CryoTel cryocoolers (CT-S, MT-S, GT-S, DS30-S) with rigorous processing for the space environment, including increased cleanliness scrutiny, extended performance testing, and additional quality controls. Over 230 successful launches as of 2024 with 525,000+ cumulative operational hours.
• Free-Piston Stirling Engines (engineering services) Free-piston Stirling engines invented by William Beale in 1964 that produce power from any heat source. Sunpower provides engineering services for prototype design, development, and fabrication of free-piston Stirling engines for power generation applications, featuring non-contacting gas bearings and linear alternators for high reliability and efficiency.

Quantifiable outcome

• Mean Time to Failure (MTTF) exceeds 200,000 hours (over 23 years) for CryoTel cryocoolers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered regional.

• CryoVac Low Temperature TechnologiesregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional distributor for Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, and Switzerland. Contact: Michael A. Krzyzowski, located in Troisdorf, Germany.
• CryoforumregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional distributor for Belgium and France. Contact: Phillippe Benoist, located in Poissy, France.
• Niki Glass CO. LTDregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional distributor for Japan. Contact: Koji Nishi, located in Tokyo, Japan.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Thales Cryogenics (formerly Ricor Cryogenics): Israeli-based manufacturer of Stirling-type cryocoolers and cryogenic cooling systems serving defense, aerospace, and commercial markets. Most direct competitor to Sunpower's CryoTel line, offering similar free-piston technology for infrared countermeasures, missile warning, and scientific applications.
• Stirling Cryogenics: Dutch manufacturer of Stirling cryocoolers and cryogenic systems for industrial, medical, and research applications. Directly comparable technology and product family (Stirling-cycle cryocoolers) competing with Sunpower in the European and global cryocooler market.

Broad incumbents

• Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions: Supplies space-qualified cryocoolers and electronic components for defense and aerospace platforms. Overlaps with Sunpower in spaceflight cooling applications and benefits from broader mission system integration capabilities.
• L3Harris Technologies: Major defense electronics prime with infrared sensing, space, and electro-optical systems that often require cryogenic cooling. Indirectly comparable as both a buyer and integrator of cryocooler technology within larger defense platforms.
• Honeywell Aerospace: Diversified aerospace supplier offering space, defense, and propulsion systems including thermal management technologies. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving overlapping aerospace and defense customers with integrated cooling solutions.
• Northrop Grumman: Defense prime with significant space systems and infrared sensor businesses requiring cryogenic cooling. Comparable customer-base overlap (U.S. government, intelligence community) and complementary capability profile.
• AMETEK (parent context: ORTEC, Advanced Measurement Systems): Sunpower's parent company and one of its largest internal customers via the ORTEC nuclear instrumentation line. Comparable as a broad industrial conglomerate that integrates Sunpower cryocoolers into its measurement and analytical instruments.
• Lockheed Martin Space: Major defense and space prime developing satellites and infrared sensor payloads that integrate third-party cryocoolers. Comparable as a strategic customer/partner of Sunpower with overlapping space and defense programs.

Emerging players

• Lynred (formerly Sofradir/Ulis): Leading European manufacturer of infrared detectors that require cryogenic cooling, often paired with Stirling cryocoolers like Sunpower's CryoTel. Comparable as a downstream customer-adjacent technology partner in IR imaging ecosystems.
• AIM Infrarot-Module: German manufacturer of infrared detector modules requiring cryogenic cooling for defense and commercial applications. Comparable technology ecosystem and customer-base overlap with Sunpower in cooled IR systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SunPower