As the world becomes more dependent on artificial intelligence and cloud computing, data centers are growing rapidly—and so is the heat they produce.
Right now, nearly 40% of a data center’s total energy use goes toward cooling.
But engineers at the University of California San Diego have come up with a new cooling method that could change that.
The breakthrough involves a special kind of fiber membrane that cools electronics using evaporation—no fans, pumps, or extra energy needed.
This new method could help data centers cut down their energy use and water waste while handling the growing heat from powerful computer chips.
The research, published on June 13 in the journal Joule, describes how this cooling system works.
The fiber membrane is filled with a network of tiny, interconnected pores. These pores pull a cooling liquid across the surface using capillary action—the same force that helps plants draw water up their roots.
As the liquid evaporates from the membrane’s surface, it takes heat away from the electronics below.
The membrane sits on top of tiny channels that carry the cooling liquid beneath it. It acts like a sponge, drawing the liquid up to where it’s needed most.
This passive system requires no motors or electricity to move the liquid, making it much more energy-efficient than traditional methods.
Evaporative cooling isn’t new—it’s already used in devices like laptop heat pipes and air conditioners.
But using it for high-powered electronics like those in data centers has been tricky. Past attempts with porous materials failed because the pores were either too small and got clogged or too big and caused boiling.
The UC San Diego team overcame this by designing a membrane with just the right pore size to allow fast evaporation without either problem.
When tested, the membrane showed exceptional results. It handled over 800 watts of heat per square centimeter—one of the highest ever recorded for this kind of cooling technology—and stayed stable for hours during operation. The fiber membranes were originally designed for filtration, but the team realized that their structure made them perfect for cooling too.
Professor Renkun Chen, who co-led the project, said the team was surprised by how well the membrane worked under such intense heat. “This shows the power of rethinking how we use materials,” he explained.
The researchers are now refining the technology and preparing to test it in devices like cold plates, which are used to cool components such as CPUs and GPUs. They’ve also launched a startup to bring this innovative cooling system to the commercial market—offering hope for a cooler, more energy-efficient future in computing.
