This week IBM announced that it has been able to develop two effective methods of cooling the surface of chips. The two methods are based on the usage of tiny channels that network on the surface of the chip. These channels are used to funnel thermally conductive substances through it.
The techniques mentioned are actually quite known among enthusiasts. The first method is IBM�s development of a chip cap that is designed to guide thermal paste into channels in order to more effectively funnel heat off the top of the chip. The second method, which is similar to a Hewlett Packard proposal made in 2002, is using a closed system of water that is sprayed on to the surface of the chip and then sucked back into a heat exchanger.
The quest for a more efficient cooling solution is a natural result of the development of increasingly faster processors. The faster the processors get, the more heat it creates, which can have a degrading effect on the total performance of the system and could even compromise the integrity of the processor making it more prone to damage.
[tags]IBM, processor, thermal paste, Hewlett Packard, [/tags]