"Microsoft's microfluidic cooling breakthrough for AI chips"

Microsoft’s microfluidics breakthrough  As AI technology progresses, the demands on chip cooling systems are increasing. Traditional methods like cold plates are approaching their limits, which could soon pose challenges for continued data center innovation.  To help address this, Microsoft has successfully tested a pioneering microfluidics cooling system. This technology brings cooling down to the chip level by embedding liquid channels on the silicon itself through microscopic grooves, removing heat up to three times more efficiently than today’s standard solutions. What does this mean for the future?  Most GPUs operating in today’s datacenters are currently cooled with cold plates, which are separated from the heat source by several layers that limit the amount of heat they can remove. Microfluidics can dramatically boost efficiency and sustainability for next-generation AI chips and data centers - and pave the way for more powerful and energy-efficient AI infrastructure.  Learn more about how Microsoft is shaping the future of AI hardware and sustainable technology: https://lnkd.in/dmVtzXfw Johannes Prüller Florian Slezak Christian Maranitsch Bernadette Welly Angelina Hartl #AI #Innovation #Sustainability #Microfluidics #Microsoft 

𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘁, 𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻 (𝟯𝗫 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿!) AI chips are pushing performance to the limits... and with it, heat generation is becoming a real bottleneck. That’s why I found this recent research from Microsoft so exciting: bio-inspired tiny channels etched directly on the back of silicon chips, where liquid can flow to efficiently remove heat. A brilliant application of microfluidics in a completely new domain. Huge praise to the Microsoft and Corintis team for driving this forward. 👏 Microfluidics helping to scale the future of AI is a powerful reminder of how versatile this technology is: from personalized drug manufacturing to diagnostics to computing. I’m especially excited about it because at Micronit we work with these processes every day, engineering microstructured channels with high precision in silicon and glass. It also connects to a theme I often come back to: 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴. As Husam Alissa (Microsoft) notes in the article: “𝘚𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘵𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘴. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘳𝘰𝘴𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘰𝘯, 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘵, 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘵.” Exactly this holistic perspective is what makes microfluidics such a fascinating and impactful field. I’m super excited to see microfluidics playing a central role in shaping what comes next. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 of a whole new industry beyond life sciences! https://lnkd.in/eCTRYVRE #Microfluidics #AI #LiquidCooling #SystemsThinking #Innovation #FutureOfAI #Microsoft

More than a decade ago, DARPA launched the ICECool program under the leadership of Avi Bar-Cohen. The idea was bold: instead of fighting heat at the surface of the chip package, why not embed cooling inside the chip and package itself — much like how the brain (the processor inside a human!) cools itself? Through microchannels, micropores, and thermal interconnects, ICECool explored ways to bring cooling right to the source. At the time, this vision was ahead of its era. Power densities were climbing, but the industry still had some headroom with conventional approaches. ICECool demonstrated the art of the possible, but mainstream demand wasn’t urgent — yet. Fast forward to today, and the picture looks very different. With AI accelerators, 3D chip stacking, and ever-denser compute architectures, the limits of traditional cooling are now front and center. The day when ICECool-style embedded cooling moves from experimental to essential is much closer than we might think. We’re seeing major players validate this direction. Microsoft’s recent article on microfluidics and liquid cooling for AI chips underscores this shift: “Microfluidics & Liquid Cooling Advancement for AI Chips” https://lnkd.in/gtRryRsi This direction amplifies the benefits of direct-to-chip, two-phase cooling approaches (such as those we’re advancing at Accelsius) while placing extra emphasis on the use of dielectric working fluids when cooling silicon chips directly. The foresight of ICECool reminds us: visionary programs don’t just push technology forward — they anticipate needs long before the market feels them. And today, that foresight is becoming necessity.

And before ICECool DARPA launched nTIM under the leadership of Thomas Kenny and then Avi Bar-Cohen. We are seeing the benefits of this program today with Carbice Pad adopted across many space, power, and data applications. The program was the first to highlight the design flaws of looking at “time zero performance” and pushed the community to develop new solutions from nanotechnology that enabled new levels of sustained high performance for product life in real use cases. Timothy Fisher Samuel Graham David H. Altman Craig Green, PhD

🪭 🇹🇭🇪 🇨🇴🇴🇱🇮🇳🇬 🇶🇺🇪🇸🇹 🇳🇪🇻🇪🇷 🇪🇳🇩🇸...... 💧 Microsoft has successfully tested a new cooling system that removed heat up to three times better than cold plates, an advanced cooling technology commonly used today. It uses microfluidics, an approach that brings liquid coolant directly inside the silicon – where the heat is. #DataCenter #Cooling #Microsoft #AI #DigitalInfrastructure #Future https://lnkd.in/gnVA56fN

AI is pushing chips and data centers to the limit and Microsoft might’ve just changed the game. With microfluidic cooling they’ve etched tiny liquid channels directly into the silicon of their AI chips. Meaning Coolant flows right where the heat is created, and early tests show it can cut GPU temps by 65% and cool 3x more efficiently than today’s setups. This matters: • More powerful AI chips without overheating bottlenecks • Lower energy costs (a huge deal for sustainability + budgets) • Possibility of future 3D chip designs that would normally fry without this tech To me this feels like a step toward solving one of the least glamorous but important problems in AI: how do we keep scaling without melting hardware and tolling the power grid. Is this the kind of innovation that will decide who wins the AI race? it’s wild to think the future of AI might come down to plumbing inside of silicon 😆. https://lnkd.in/g8EdWeNw

💡 Microsoft unveils a breakthrough in chip cooling Microsoft has introduced a microfluidics cooling system that circulates liquid directly over the silicon—delivering up to 3x higher efficiency compared to the cold plates currently used in data centers. The innovation works by etching microchannels, as thin as hair and similar to leaf veins, on the back of the chip. These channels allow liquid to flow directly across the surface. In stress tests with heavy workloads, the solution reduced peak GPU temperatures by up to 65%. (Source: Microsoft) https://lnkd.in/eZg6uCku

Microsoft AI Innovation - 🔬💧 Microfluidics: Cooling AI from the Inside Out AI chips are getting hotter. A microfluidics breakthrough goes straight to the silicon to cool up to three times better hashtag #datacenter hashtag #microsoft hashtag #AI hashtag #microfluidics 🧠💥 AI chips are heating up — modern AI workloads generate intense heat that traditional cooling methods struggle to handle. 🧊🔍 Microsoft’s breakthrough: Microfluidic cooling channels are etched directly into the silicon, allowing liquid coolant to flow right where the heat is. 🚀💡 3x better cooling than current cold plate systems, enabling more powerful and compact chip designs. 🤖📊 AI-assisted cooling: AI identifies heat hotspots on the chip and directs coolant precisely for maximum efficiency. 🌱⚙️ Sustainability boost: This innovation could lead to greener, more efficient datacenters. https://lnkd.in/e8SuYAUd

At Microsoft, we’re bringing innovation to the very heart of the chip. Our new microfluidics cooling breakthrough uses liquid channels inside silicon to remove heat up to three times more efficiently than today’s methods. That means less energy to keep datacenters cool, less space needed to scale, and a smaller environmental footprint, all while boosting AI performance. Because true progress isn’t just about building faster technology. It’s about building it responsibly. https://lnkd.in/eKpE5bG4

Microsoft is taking a bold step to address the growing energy demands of AI data centers by turning to microfluidic cooling technology for its AI chips. As AI workloads become more intensive, traditional cooling methods are struggling to keep up with the heat and power requirements. Microfluidics offers a promising solution by enabling more efficient heat dissipation at the chip level, potentially reducing energy consumption and improving overall system performance. This move highlights the urgent need for innovation in data center infrastructure as AI continues to scale. Stay tuned to see how this technology could reshape the future of AI hardware.