Metal-Cooled Computing

by Simon Burns TechnologyReview.com, 22 Jun 2005 In many ways, Moore's Law -- the famous prediction by Gordon Moore, co-founder of chip manufacturer Intel, that microprocessor complexity will grow exponentially without an increase in price -- has held for four decades. But that complexity has come with a hidden "cost": heat. Packing more and more components and circuits onto a chip requires more electrical power to run it. And most of that power turns into heat, so that the latest chips can quickly exceed 100 degrees Centigrade, if not properly cooled. One potential solution to this growing problem is more commonly associated with nuclear reactors: liquid metal cooling. Read more