These new metal foams promise 90% improved heat exchange for sustainable data center cooling
Swiss startup Aphros has unveiled a new way to meet the global demand for data processing, driven by the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and large language learning models (LLMs)
The company has developed a new metal foam that it claims could revolutionize the cooling systems used in data centers.
As pressure on data centers continues to increase, cooling systems are becoming increasingly important to maintain optimal operation. Cooling systems often account for almost 40% of total energy consumption.
Efficient cooling solution for data centers
Data centers are increasingly faced with complex AI workloads, requiring specialized hardware such as GPUs and TPUs.
These components generate significant amounts of heat, requiring advanced cooling systems to prevent overheating and ensure consistent performance. Traditionally, data centers rely on heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems for cooling. But as server density increases, these air-based systems are no longer sufficient.
To address these limitations, more efficient cooling methods have emerged, including immersion cooling and direct-to-chip cooling. Immersion cooling involves immersing servers in a dielectric fluid, while direct-to-chip cooling circulates coolant through cold plates attached to the chips. Both methods rely on effective heat exchange to remove heat from the chips and introduce it into a cooling medium, which is where Apheros’ metal foams come into play.
The metal foams are available in various compositions, including copper, nickel, iron and stainless steel. Their structure has a fully open porosity with interconnected pores, resulting in a surface area that is 1000x higher compared to traditional solutions. The foams have densities ranging from 0.9 to 2.2 g/cm3.
Apheros uses a patented, easily scalable powdering method that operates at room temperature. According to the company, this results in consistent properties and high open cell porosity, based on established food production techniques such as chocolate mousse and meringue, which enables the creation of mechanically stable foams.
Apheros metal foams have high thermal conductivity and can provide up to 90% improved heat exchange compared to traditional solutions. This enables the use of higher coolant temperatures, leading to 10-20% energy savings in cooling systems, which not only reduces operational costs but also supports the growing need for sustainable data center operations.
The foams are optimal for passive cooling applications such as heat sinks and are suitable for single-phase cold plates and immersion cooling in data centers. There is also potential for two-phase direct-to-chip cooling. In addition, the large surface area makes the foams suitable for use as electrodes and catalysts.
Julia Carpenter, co-founder and CEO of Apheros, said VentureBeat“This ultra-high surface area metal foam goes directly on the chip and allows the fluid to flow through it. So in the case of on-chip cooling, it acts like a kitchen sponge with a very fine porosity, where the water or the coolant flows through and takes the heat away. This also happens in immersion cooling.”
“The increase in heat transfer efficiency of Apheros foams translates directly into energy-saving benefits as it allows data centers to utilize higher coolant temperatures. This is critical as it enables heat exchange with outside air without the use of water-intensive evaporation towers or energy-consuming processes such as compression.”