Intel partners with Submers to launch Forced Convection Heat Sink

Earlier reports suggested that Intel intends to channel an investment of $700 million toward the conception of next-generation immersive liquid-cooling solutions and other data-center-oriented technologies. The firm aspires to pioneer an open intellectual property immersive liquid-cooling solution, combined with a public board design, promising to drastically curtail costs and carbon emissions. Should the timing prove propitious, Intel may also introduce similar designs to the consumer market.

Recently, Intel, in collaboration with Submers, heralded the advent of an immersive liquid-cooling system, christened “Forced Convection Heat Sink (FCHS)”, designed to dissipate heat from chips with a Thermal Design Power (TDP) exceeding 1000W. This innovation is poised to offer a reliable and cost-efficient solution for processors employed in future data centers.

Within this immersive cooling ecosystem, one end of a copper heat sink is equipped with dual fans, leveraging forced convection to amplify the fluid’s flow through the heat sink. Intriguingly, the design ethos of this component appears to be at odds with the traditional passive concept of immersive cooling based on natural convection. In its embryonic stages, Intel showcased the prowess of this system using an Xeon server processor with an 800W TDP, with plans in the pipeline to elevate the TDP to 1000W. Moreover, this immersive cooling design incorporates features for easy manufacturing and cost-efficiency. Some components even lend themselves to fabrication via 3D printing, enabling tailored designs for corresponding thermal layouts.

Intel and Submers have charted plans to unveil the “Forced Convection Heat Sink” at the OCP Global Summit, elucidating its real-world efficacy through live demonstrations.