Key Points:
- xMEMS Labs introduces the XMC-2400 µCooling chip, a compact and powerful cooling solution for smartphones and tablets.
- The chip uses a “silicon, solid-state” design to vibrate airflow, eliminating the need for traditional spinning fans.
- The µCooling chip is four times smaller and offers 16 times more “airflow per volume” than Frore Systems’ AirJet technology.
- xMEMS expects the chip to be adopted by smartphone vendors as demand for high-performance, AI-ready devices grows.
Santa Clara-based xMEMS Labs has introduced the xMEMS XMC-2400 µCooling chip, a groundbreaking cooling solution designed for smartphones, tablets, and other portable electronic devices. This innovative chip departs from traditional spinning fans, utilizing a “silicon, solid-state” design that vibrates airflow within its compact structure to dissipate heat effectively.
The technology mirrors a similar approach by San Jose-based Frore Systems, which launched its “AirJet” cooling chip in December 2022. Like xMEMS’ chip, Frore’s technology uses vibrating membranes at ultrasonic frequencies to generate airflow. However, xMEMS’ µCooling chip distinguishes itself by being about four times smaller, measuring just 1 millimeter thick, while delivering 16 times more “airflow per volume” than Frore’s AirJet.
The xMEMS chip builds on the company’s expertise in microspeaker components, using vibrations within a silicon package to create sound. The result is a µCooling chip that offers “silent, vibration-free” active cooling, crucial for helping smartphones achieve higher CPU or GPU performance without the risk of overheating. During a demonstration, the chip generated enough airflow to power a small fan, showcasing its potential to revolutionize cooling in portable devices.
As smartphones increasingly integrate AI programs that demand greater computing power, efficient cooling solutions are becoming essential. Joseph Jiang, CEO of xMEMS, emphasized the significance of the new chip, stating, “The XMC-2400 is designed to actively cool even the smallest handheld form factors, enabling the thinnest, most high-performance, AI-ready mobile devices. It’s hard to imagine tomorrow’s smartphones and other thin, performance-oriented devices without xMEMS µCooling technology.”
xMEMS Labs plans to showcase the µCooling chip in Shenzhen, China, and Taipei, Taiwan, next month. The company is preparing to sample the chip to interested customers in the first quarter of next year, positioning it as a crucial component in the next generation of high-performance, AI-driven mobile devices.
