Future smartphones may be cooled by tiny fans on chips

A new silicon-based fan-on-a-chip is 96% smaller than non-silicon-based, active-cooling alternatives.

The company xMEMs Lab has announced a new first-of-its-kind chip. Its tiny size, much smaller than a typical cooling alternative, may allow the manufacture of smaller smartphones, laptops, and other consumer devices.

One key challenge in engineering portable devices is maximizing computational power while minimizing size. This is even more significant with AI's growing importance, as AI computations demand processors capable of efficiently handling a substantial number of calculations.

Various cooling solutions are implemented to reduce the heat caused by processors. However, they also require space, thus limiting the possibility of making smaller devices.

xMEMs Labs claims that its silicon-based fab-on-a-chip, the XMC-2400, which uses the company’s audio speaker technology, will significantly reduce space compared to current cooling solution alternatives.

The XMC-2400 µCooling chip is designed to function like a tiny, solid-state fan. The chip uses silicon-based vibrating structures to push air, thus cooling components.

The XMC-2400 measures 9.26 x 7.6 x 1.08 millimeters and weighs less than 150 milligrams. The company claims it’s 96 percent smaller and lighter than non-silicon-based, active-cooling alternatives.

A single XMC-2400 chip, which is IP58-rated, can move up to 39 cubic centimeters of air per second with 1,000Pa of back pressure.

“Thermal management in ultramobile devices, which are beginning to run even more processor-intensive AI applications, is a massive challenge for manufacturers and consumers,” said Joseph Jiang, xMEMS CEO and Co-Founder, in a statement.

xMEMS plans to demonstrate the chip to customers in September at its live events in Shenzhen and Taipei, and XMC-2400 samples for customers are planned for Q1 2025.

🚀 Introducing the xMEMS XMC-2400: The World’s First 1mm-Thin Active Micro Cooling (µCooling) Fan on a Chip, for ultra-slim, AI-driven mobile devices!

Step into the future of mobile performance now, read more: https://t.co/JvvRATTc7W#microcooling #heatdissipation #edgeai pic.twitter.com/NAmUZpsWjG

undefined xMEMS (@xMEMSLabs) August 20, 2024