Microsoft tests new chip cooling system using microfluidics technology

Microsoft announced it has successfully tested a microfluidic cooling system that removes heat up to three times more effectively than cold plates currently used in datacenters. The technology involves etching tiny channels directly onto silicon chips to allow cooling liquid to flow onto the chip surface.

The system reduced maximum temperature rise in GPU silicon by 65 percent during testing, according to the company. Microsoft used artificial intelligence to identify heat signatures on chips and direct coolant with greater precision.

"Microfluidics would allow for more power-dense designs that will enable more features that customers care about and give better performance in a smaller amount of space," said Judy Priest, corporate vice president and chief technical officer of Cloud Operations and Innovation at Microsoft.

The Redmond-based company collaborated with Swiss startup Corintis to develop bio-inspired channel designs resembling leaf veins or butterfly wings. The microchannel dimensions are similar in size to human hair, requiring precise engineering to prevent clogging while maintaining chip structural integrity.

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) demonstrated the technology by successfully cooling a server running simulated Teams meeting services. The company produced four design iterations in the past year as part of the development process.

Current datacenter cooling relies heavily on cold plates, which sit on top of chips but are separated from heat sources by multiple material layers. As AI chips become more powerful and generate additional heat, traditional cooling methods may reach their limits within five years, according to Sashi Majety, senior technical program manager at Microsoft.

The company plans to investigate incorporating microfluidic cooling into future generations of its first-party chips and will work with fabrication partners to bring the technology into production across its datacenters. Microsoft announced plans to spend over $30 billion on capital expenditures in the current quarter.

You May Also Be Interested In