Heat loads of data processing equipment continue to increase at a rapid rate. This increasing heat load has been documented by a Thermal Management Consortium of 17 companies [1] as shown in Figure 1. Also shown in this figure are measured heat fluxes (based on product footprint) of some recent product announcements. The most recent shows a rack dissipating 28,500 watts, … [Read more...]
Power Density Challenges Of Next Generation Telecommunication Networks
Despite the current downturn in the telecommunications industry, data transfer (i.e. network traffic) is continuing to grow at a 100% rate [1]. It is already projected that network traffic demand will reach tens of Tb/s in a couple of years from now (see predicted traffic demands from telecommunications analysts Ryan, Hankin & Kent, Figure 1). At the same time, network … [Read more...]
Thermal challenges in the telecom and networks industry
Figure 1: Telecom Equipment Operating EnvironmentsThere are two main reasons for doing thermal design in the telecommunication industry. The first is to ensure functionality of the equipment and system when subjected to extreme environments. The second is to ensure high dependability of the network. While doing thermal design, many challenges must be kept in mind: the … [Read more...]
Computer-related thermal packaging at the millenial divide
Examples of state-of-the-art thermal management solutions at the dawn of the 21st century (left to right): a TCM module, a high-density heat sink, and an ultra performance, low profile fan-sink. Thermal management has served as a key enabling technology in the development of advanced microelectronic systems and has facilitated many of the "Moore's Law" [Moore, G.E., 1975] … [Read more...]
Interaction of the system and module-level thermal phenomena- a flip-chip/BGA example
Fig. 1: Levels in a computer environment. Introduction Increasing demands for higher performance in microprocessors have a direct effect on chip power and heat generation. Increased function and miniaturization of the packages result in thermal challenges that require a thorough understanding of the system's thermal performance under all possible field conditions. Regardless … [Read more...]
