Microsoft Explores Using Liquids to Cool AI Chips
Using liquid instead of air to cool racks of computers in data centers is potentially more efficient, but that doesn’t make it easy.
Data center server boards being cooled by immersion via an inert liquid.
Source: Green Revolution Cooling
The semiconductors whose components are measured in nanometers are the marvel of modern artificial intelligence data centers, but some of the most important machines in such facilities are the fans. Without cool air constantly blowing through the racks of computers, the advanced chips would cook themselves. The cost of running enough fans and air conditioners to keep this from happening is leading chipmakers and data center operators to find completely different ways to do things.
Such aspirations were on display on Nov. 15, when Microsoft Corp. announced its first major foray into advanced chipmaking for AI. Its new Maia 100 chip, intended to compete with Nvidia Corp.’s top-line products, is designed to be attached to a so-called cold plate, a metal device that’s kept cool by liquid flowing beneath its surface. The technique could be an intermediary step to full-immersion cooling, where entire racks of servers operate inside tanks of specialized liquid.