Computex is a US startup that has developed a new cooling device. They call this an active solid-state cooling device, and it is very nearly the size of a regular SD card. It uses a variety of techniques to remove heat from small enclosed spaces. Made by Frore Systems, the new active solid-state cooling device is named AirJet.
Very close to the size of an SD card, about 2.8 x 27.5 x 41.5 mm, AirJet has tiny membranes vibrating at ultrasonic frequencies. According to Frore Systems, the membranes generate a strong airflow entering AirJet through inlet vents at its top. Inside the device, this airflow changes into high-velocity pulsating jets. AirJet further directs the air past a heat spreader at its base. As the air passes through AirJet, it acquires some heat from the device and carries it away as it moves out. According to Frore, the AirJet consumes only a single watt to operate, while moving 5.25 W worth of heat.
Although not very explicit, Frore’s explanation of the working mechanism says they made the vibrating membranes with techniques similar to those necessary for the production of screens and semiconductors. This is the reason for describing the device, as a solid-state cooler. Moreover, some workings of the AirJet are inspired by engineers’ methods to cool jet engine components.
At the Computex 2023 exhibition, Frore announced that their first customer for AirJet would be Zotac of Hong Kong. They will use it on their mini PC, which uses 8GB of RAM and an Intel i3 core inside a chassis measuring only 115 x 76 x 22 mm, slightly larger than a pack of playing cards.
According to Frore, they have designed AirJet specifically for tightly-packed devices with a lower number of CPUs and using passive heat management to cool. With a tiny active cooling device like AirJet, designers can contain the heat powerful components generate, or run more CUP cores at higher capacity for longer.
Frore’s prime targets are tablet computers and fanless laptops. Their demo device had a digital doorbell with an AirJet retrofitted. With this cooler running, they can enhance the processing of AI-infused video on the device.
Frore also have a professional model of the AirJet, and they predict it can move 10 watts of heat in advanced iterations. They also estimate they can double AirJet’s performance with each iteration, but for the time being, AirJet is unlikely to have adequate capacity to cool a server.
On the other hand, Frore envisages the role of cooling SSDs and similar memories for AirJet. This will likely work well for SSDs running hot, and CXL or Compute Express Link’s rising memory pooling. Therefore, they are considering having AirJets on SSDs for cooling arrays, and on other memory packages.
One limiting factor for AirJet is its need for air intake. However, Frore confidently claims AirJet can defeat dust. They do not claim the technology is waterproof, so application on smartphones is not under consideration, at least for now. But PCs can now chase the idea of no moving parts.
