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I've always wondered why advances in 3D chips haven't taken advantage of nano-fluidics. One radical new chip design could be very micron-sized coolant pipes for

I've always wondered why advances in 3D chips haven't taken advantage of nano-fluidics. One radical new chip design could be very micron-sized coolant pipes for wicking away heat. The "coolant" could perhaps be gallium for rapid heat transfer. Micro-valves could open/close as parts of the chip draw more power, pumping more fluid through them, and cooling them faster. Every problem has a solution, we must be creative enough to discover & build it.

XorNot 6y ago
Microfluidics is one of the most complex fields to commercialize a product in, and is littered with dead startups. The short answer is that the scale change changes the behavior of everything - pumps and flow just plain don't work the way they do at larger scales, and the forces created by surface tension and hydrophillicity become large relative to the strength of the mechanical parts.
- areoform 6y ago
  What's the breakthrough needed to make chips like these a reality?
  - samus 6y ago
    As in any cutting-edge technology: enough willpower and finance to explore the design space until a design with sufficient potential is found and its technical challenges overcome. Academia often has already explored the design space. The industry then tries to commercialize one of these approaches. Often, they turn out to be a dud: the challenges are too large, or they are solvable but the technology is ultimately impractical for some reason, or they are a dead end and thus won't be relevant for long enough to build a company on it. And then there are various non-technological human failure modes that can befall a company...
- fakedang 6y ago
  Nanoscale fluidics are much more efficient at transferring heat or mass. The issue is that we have just started developing an understanding of the field, so our usual understanding of those concepts have to be developed from scratch. As you mentioned, the forces become large enough, and some variables can't just be ignored. But in my experience (working with microscale perfusion reactor arrays), they actually deliver much more and reliably compared to a conventional system.
plutonorm 6y ago
To get a 10* speed up you would need 10* the power. Your 100w cpu would become 1kw! Its not a long term winning strategy to chase after better thermal dissipation. When we have 2d devices that running as fast as they can go and drawing 1w, then it's time to go vertical.

XorNot 6y ago

Microfluidics is one of the most complex fields to commercialize a product in, and is littered with dead startups. The short answer is that the scale change changes the behavior of everything - pumps and flow just plain don't work the way they do at larger scales, and the forces created by surface tension and hydrophillicity become large relative to the strength of the mechanical parts.

areoform 6y ago
What's the breakthrough needed to make chips like these a reality?
- samus 6y ago
  As in any cutting-edge technology: enough willpower and finance to explore the design space until a design with sufficient potential is found and its technical challenges overcome. Academia often has already explored the design space. The industry then tries to commercialize one of these approaches. Often, they turn out to be a dud: the challenges are too large, or they are solvable but the technology is ultimately impractical for some reason, or they are a dead end and thus won't be relevant for long enough to build a company on it. And then there are various non-technological human failure modes that can befall a company...
fakedang 6y ago
Nanoscale fluidics are much more efficient at transferring heat or mass. The issue is that we have just started developing an understanding of the field, so our usual understanding of those concepts have to be developed from scratch. As you mentioned, the forces become large enough, and some variables can't just be ignored. But in my experience (working with microscale perfusion reactor arrays), they actually deliver much more and reliably compared to a conventional system.

plutonorm 6y ago

To get a 10* speed up you would need 10* the power. Your 100w cpu would become 1kw! Its not a long term winning strategy to chase after better thermal dissipation. When we have 2d devices that running as fast as they can go and drawing 1w, then it's time to go vertical.