Modern microchips can dissipate heat fluxes equivalent to the core of a nuclear reactor
Advanced microchips now manage thermal energy densities comparable to the core of a nuclear reactor, using vertical copper vias to dissipate heat across stacked components.
Modern High Bandwidth Memory (HBM4) modules dissipate heat fluxes of 70 watts per square centimeter, a thermal intensity that rivals the internal conditions of a nuclear reactor. To manage this without phase-change liquids, engineers utilize High-Through-Silicon Vias—microscopic copper-filled channels—to wick heat away from 16-die DRAM stacks. These stacks are connected via 50-micrometer microbumps that reduce interconnect capacitance to a mere 1 picofarad per millimeter, allowing for data transfer speeds of 12.8 gigabits per second per pin.
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