Thermal Advances Driving Next-Gen AI Chip Design

AI is hot — literally.  

As AI computing requires higher, unprecedented power levels, thermal management emerges as a critical bottleneck for reliable system performance. And the necessary shift to 3D chip architectures only “increases the temperature.” Stacking heterogenous dies in a compact space leads to higher power densities, creates intense localized hot spots, and traps heat far away from cooling heat sinks. This is not merely an analogy but a demonstrable engineering constraint that defines the boundaries of viable designs today.  

If you’re wondering just how extreme it gets: power densities in leading-edge 3D ICs have already been compared to the surface of the sun. That’s the uncomfortably “hot” reality every AI hardware designer now must confront, and it’s likely to get hotter if we don’t turn down the heat.  

Fortunately, new advances in materials, packaging, AI, and multiphysics simulations may help. To that end, we’ve identified five thermal trends that we believe can reshape your design and packaging workflows so you can keep it cool.

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