Cold Plates
What is a Cold Plate?
A cold plate is a flat block of ultra-pure copper bolted directly on top of an AI chip (GPU) to soak up extreme heat (500–600 W/cm² - hotter than a rocket nozzle's average wall flux).
The Big Takeaway: Inside this copper block are microscopic water channels (200–300 micrometers wide - about the width of two human hairs).
Because the tolerances are so tight (<= 0.03 °C/W thermal resistance) and must survive 500 hours of non-stop heat-cycling tests, only a handful of NVIDIA-approved vendors (like Auras, Boyd, and CoolIT) dominate this market - meaning local SEA firms should aim to do precision contract machining for those vendors rather than selling uncertified cold plates alone.
1. Core Engineering Specifications
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Thermal Resistance: ≤ 0.03 degC/W from cold plate base to coolant bulk.
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Metallurgy: High-purity vacuum-brazed copper (specifically UNS C11000 / CDA1100 >= 99.9% Cu or UNS C10200 / CDA1020 >= 99.95% Cu).
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Micro-Channel Width: Precision machined or skived to 200 to 300 micrometers.
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Reliability Validation: 500-hour continuous thermal cycling tests compliant with JEDEC JESD22-A104.
2. Key Buyers & Dominant Vendors
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Gatekeeper: Tier 1 - Silicon OEMs (NVIDIA Recommended Vendor List - RVL)
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Buyers: Tier 2 - Server ODMs
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Established RVL Vendors: Auras, Boyd, Cooler Master, AVC, CoolIT.
3. Future FYP Expansion
- Evaluate whether precision semiconductor machinists in Penang/Singapore can machine 200-300 micrometer copper channels.
