IBM cools computer chips with miniature water pipes

It might seem foolish to combine water with electric circuits, butIBM have used cutting edge technology to cool the next generationof PC chips with liquid.

Scientists at the firm believe that running water throughhair-thin pipes inside chips will solve the problem of over-heatingin the next-generation of computers. They showed off their firstworking prototype earlier this month.
As chips get ever smaller, cramming more processing power intoever-tinier spaces, the heat thrown off by the miniature circuitsbecomes harder to manage.

Water is pumped between layers of the microchip to cool it down
Cooling measures used now to avoid chip meltdowns, including "heatsinks" made from heat-absorbing materials, might not work on such aminiature scale.
In fact, in a future microprocessor design IBM is exploring - inwhich chips are stacked vertically instead of next to each other tosave space and enhance performance - the heat-to-volume ratioexceeds that of a nuclear reactor.
To address that, IBM researchers say they could pipe water inbetween chips that are sandwiched together. The system uses pipesthat are just 50 microns wide, which is 50 millionths of a metre.The tiny tubes are sealed to prevent leaks and electrical shorts.
"In order to exploit the potential of high-performance 3D chipstacking, we need interlayer cooling," project leader ThomasBrunschwiler said.

Even these micro amounts of water can handle prodigious coolingchores, because water is much more efficient than air at absorbingheat. This is the first time microchips have utilised the benefits.

"It's never been applied this close to the heart of the matter,"said analyst Richard Doherty of the Envisioneering Group.
IBM estimate the technique would allow chip designers to boost thenumber of data transfer channels by a factor of 100 anddramatically reduce the amount of space needed by data to travelbetween components.
However, IBM's tiny pipes aren't out of the laboratory yet. Theyare at least five years away from shop shelves.