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Microchannel Cooled CPUs?

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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EE Times reports that a new startup company, Cooligy, has been working on new active cooling systems for upcoming CPUs.

The system works by using active water cooling over hundreds of microchannels through which water is cycled. The cooling requirements of upcoming 90 and 65nm chips are said to be more challenging for traditional "passive" cooling systems.

Of note, Cooligy claims to have already developed prototype systems with Intel, AMD and even Apple. They expect first samples to be available "next quarter to makers of high-end systems like workstations and 1U servers."
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2003/10/07/microchannel-cooled-cpus/
Could it be that the promised 3Ghz G5 will come with next gen water cooling? Apple seem to have learned their lesson after those noisy G4's ...
 
sounds 'cool' haha. and the pathetic joke of the week winner is (drum roll) mac15 for his craptapular 'cool' joke
 
G5 PowerBook Enabler

"The small size, light weight, and excellent thermal performance of the Cooligy system allow tighter packing of components on the circuit board and higher reliability of individual chips as well as the entire system."

"The method was successfully modeled and prototyped in cooperation with Intel, AMD, Apple, and DARPA."

"The Intel test produced the highest performance Intel had ever seen from any cooling technology."

http://www.cooligy.com/technology.html
 
Originally posted by MongoTheGeek
Gee, what 1U servers are there out there...

I guess thats an ETA on the g5 XServe.
Click to expand...

I doubt this tech is for the G5 Xserve. The G5 is a 130nm chip. And this tech is only sampling next quarter. Prob won't be actually in anything for a bit longer.

arn
 
Uh, one of the benefits of going to 90nm or 60nm fab processes is that the chips run cooler while allowing higher colock speeds. So it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to worry about water cooling for cjips made with 90nm or 60nm fab processes... right?
 
not so sure

Originally posted by paulc
Uh, one of the benefits of going to 90nm or 60nm fab processes is that the chips run cooler while allowing higher colock speeds. So it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to worry about water cooling for cjips made with 90nm or 60nm fab processes... right?
Click to expand...
actually it makes a lot of sense for PowerBook G5.....
how to cool it down efficiently without draining too much battery life.
 
Originally posted by paulc
Uh, one of the benefits of going to 90nm or 60nm fab processes is that the chips run cooler while allowing higher colock speeds. So it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to worry about water cooling for cjips made with 90nm or 60nm fab processes... right?
Click to expand...

90/60nm chips are cooler. Since they are smaller, though, they tend to hold the heat more than their 130nm counterparts. That is the purpose of the new coolers.
 
Maybe for use in smaller cases

This would reduce this huge passiv cooling system...

Maybe for a new small powermac? ;) - something smaller
 
MicroChannel isn't new technology

wit_tandy1989.jpg
 
Water cools the chip, not the system

A water-cooled chip allows for more heat to be created in a smaller chip area. My (intuitive only) understanding is that by going to smaller processes, even if each transistor generates less heat, each square millimeter generates more heat - but more transistors are packed into the area, therefore better performance.

So: the cooler chip innards allow for hotter machines.

So: this won't mean fewer fans in the unit. The heat that's now not in the chip, is still in the box, and there's more of it than ever before.

Unless, of course, you run the water right out of the case.
 
Uh, one of the benefits of going to 90nm or 60nm fab processes is that the chips run cooler while allowing higher colock speeds. So it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to worry about water cooling for cjips made with 90nm or 60nm fab processes... right?
Click to expand...
90 and 60 nm chips produce less heat and use less power (good for battery life) - assuming the frequency isn't ramped up at the same time cancelling out all efficiency improvements - but produce more heat per chip surface area.

If you hold your hand into the sun in the summer, it might get warm a little bit. Use a magnifying glass to concentrate all that energy on one spot on your hand and your going to feel the difference, even if you're reducing the sunlights intensity a bit.
 
Re: Water cools the chip, not the system

Originally posted by sososowhat
So: the cooler chip innards allow for hotter machines.

So: this won't mean fewer fans in the unit. The heat that's now not in the chip, is still in the box, and there's more of it than ever before.

Unless, of course, you run the water right out of the case.
Click to expand...

The radiator can ofcourse vent outside of the machine (Like it does on most water-cooled PCs), or you can make use of fans. Once the heat is off the chip its easier to get rid of
 
Several years ago radio shack had speakers they called ferofluid cooled, which enabled them to handle supposedly higher wattages. Although the idea of cooling with a liquid, preferably oil verses water which would more kin to leakage(viscosity of oil vs water) may be a solution.

However, these marketting ploys are no more practical than playing with the liquid nitrogen cooled superconductors of the 80's. Making a computer more mechanically complex is neither an advantage or innovation. Let Dell, the innovative comglomerate that it is, fair the liquid cooling seas. I do think that Intel will face those challenges much before any G5 or 6 will ever need such complexity.
 
Originally posted by mac15
sounds 'cool' haha. and the pathetic joke of the week winner is (drum roll) mac15 for his craptapular 'cool' joke
Click to expand...
Sounds "cool", but never trust "leaked" information! :eek:
 
Higher Clocks and heat

Originally posted by paulc
Uh, one of the benefits of going to 90nm or 60nm fab processes is that the chips run cooler while allowing higher colock speeds. So it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to worry about water cooling for cjips made with 90nm or 60nm fab processes... right?
Click to expand...

Not exactly...

Moving to a smaller process allows a chip to run faster OR cooler. That is... if you moved the G5 to a .90 micron process, and kept the clock speed the same (1.6-2.0GHz) it would run considerably cooler. However, this same shrink would allow you to run higher clock speeds at the same heat production.

Also...

someone brought up the possiblity of this reducing battery life significantly, however, I don't see it. Unlike air cooled systems, the liquid cooled system would be closed, so you the coolant would develop inertia, thus reducing the power requirements to keep it circulating. Air doesn't. It has to be constantly accellerated past the sink.

:)

Dharvabinky
 
I can't remember Apple ever using a brand new technology that they didnt invent for any of their products. The technology has to be around for quite a while and work for them to start using it.

All I know is that Apple better be working on how to cool these chips without resorting to making holes on all sides of their cases. They cant do that with the imac or notebooks like they can with the Powermac.
 
oh i can picture a powerbook user with a water cooled machine
PB=powerbook user
AC=Apple Care Person

PB: picks up phone calls apple care

AC: thank you for calling apple tech support how may i help you?

PB:Ya hi i picked up my powerbook this morning and noticed a huge problem.

AC: and what problem is that?

PB: ITS LEAKING!!!!!!

AC:let me transfer you to the department that handles this.

apple care:You have been transfered to apple care power book tech support.
Apple Care:If you called because your powerbook is leaking and you need the
iPatch press #1

Apple Care: if your calling because your cooling system froze and you used an oven to thaw your PB out,press #2 for a list of lies on how it was a manufactureing defect.
 
Somehow this thread reminds me of MacQuariums:

macquarium.jpg


Credits: ? ? ? Not sure, but it's british. If you're the auther of this marvel, just wack me until I give proper credits.
 
I knew this technology was coming soon. I thought of it, undoubtably after someone else did.
 
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