As electronic devices get smaller and more powerful, keeping them from overheating has become a big challenge.
Tiny chips can now do incredible things thanks to Moore’s law—the idea that the number of components in a computer chip doubles every two years—but all that power comes with heat.
Too much heat can slow down performance, damage parts, or even cause devices to fail.
Now, researchers from the University of Tokyo have developed an advanced cooling method that could dramatically improve how we manage heat in electronic chips.
Their study, recently published in Cell Reports Physical Science, reveals a new way to keep chips cool using water in a smarter and more efficient way.
One of the best cooling strategies today is using microchannels—tiny water-filled passages built directly into the chip.
As water flows through these microchannels, it absorbs the heat and carries it away.
But this method has a limit: it only uses what’s called “sensible heat,” which is the heat needed to raise the temperature of water without turning it into vapor.
However, if you let the water boil or evaporate inside the chip, it absorbs much more energy in the process. This is called “latent heat,” and it can be about seven times more effective at removing heat than just raising the water’s temperature.
The tricky part is managing the bubbles created by boiling water, which can block the channels and reduce cooling efficiency.
To solve this, the team created a 3D cooling system with specially designed capillary structures—tiny pathways that help control how water moves and evaporates.
They also included a manifold distribution layer, which directs the flow of water throughout the chip to avoid clogging and ensure smooth heat transfer.
The researchers tested different shapes and designs for these channels and found that the geometry of the cooling system had a big impact on how well it worked. By carefully controlling both the water flow and the bubble formation, they achieved a high level of efficiency.
Their new cooling system reached a coefficient of performance (COP) of up to 105—a big improvement over older cooling methods. That means it delivers much more cooling power for the same amount of energy used.
According to senior author Masahiro Nomura, better cooling will be essential for future high-performance devices, from smartphones to supercomputers. This technology could also help reduce energy use and support efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.
