Hybrid Phase-Change Cooling for High-Density Accelerator Hardware
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling solutions for high power density devices, such as GPUs and ASICs, are inefficient, costly, and unsuitable for hyperscale data centers, particularly due to the high power requirements and complex integration needs, and lack scalability and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid cooling device combining phase change cooling and air cooling, utilizing a closed loop two-phase system with a cold plate, radiator, and fans, along with a pressure and temperature sensor for control, to manage airflow and maintain proper pressure on electronics, enabling scalability and interoperability with various server configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If liquid cooling is used for high power density devices exceeding 400W, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but facility requirements and system complexity increase beyond typical data center capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines air cooling and liquid cooling into a hybrid system where air cooling handles the radiator and liquid cooling handles the cold plate, merging the simplicity of air cooling with the effectiveness of liquid cooling to resolve the contradiction between cooling effectiveness and facility complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the thermal management parameters by using phase change materials in the cold plate that can operate at lower temperatures and pressures, allowing the system to achieve effective cooling without requiring the high temperature, high pressure, and high flow rate facilities that conventional liquid cooling demands
2Temperature
If conventional liquid cooling architecture is used for PCIe-based electronics, then cooling performance is improved, but adaptability to different server configurations is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The hybrid cooling device is designed with universal adaptability to work with PCIe-based electronics in various server configurations including rack-mounted servers, blade servers, and cloud data centers, while maintaining effective cooling performance through its modular cold plate and radiator design
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates adjustable and configurable components that can adapt to different thermal loads and server configurations, allowing the cooling device to dynamically adjust its operation to maintain optimal performance across diverse deployment scenarios
3Ease of manufacture
If air cooling is used for desktop products, then ease of implementation is improved, but cooling capacity is insufficient for hyperscale cloud data centers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges air cooling and liquid cooling systems into a hybrid architecture where the air cooling portion maintains ease of implementation while the liquid cooling portion with phase change materials provides the enhanced cooling capacity required for high-power density devices in hyperscale data centers
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The hybrid cooling solution effectively manages thermal management for high power density electronics, ensuring efficient cooling across diverse server environments, enhancing scalability, reliability, and reducing operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
The cold plate can include phase change fluid for extracting heat from electronics on a printed circuit board (PCB)
Implementation Method 2
one or more fans can be used to create airflows for cooling both the electronics on the PCB and the radiator
Implementation Method 3
The one or more fans can be used to create airflows for cooling both the electronics on the PCB and the radiator
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
Described herein is a hybrid cooling device and a cooling method that use a combination of phase change cooling and air cooling. The hybrid cooling device includes a closed loop two phase system, one or more fans (201), and an assembly clamp (107). The two phase system further includes a cold plate (105), an integrated channel (103), and a radiator (101), and a pressure sensor. The cold plate can include phase change fluid for extracting heat from electronics on a printed circuit board (203) sandwiched between the cold plate and the assembly clamp. The one or more fans can be used to create airflows for cooling both the cold plate and the radiator. The pressure sensor can be used to control the operation of the hybrid cooling device, which can be deployed in different system environments and server configurations.