English
usheenthermal
alibaba
The global technology landscape is currently experiencing a surge of innovation, with the rapid advancements in Artificial Intelligence and the accelerated adoption of New Energy Vehicles prominently featured in global news. As we marvel at the emergent intelligence of large AI models like GPT-4, or follow the intense competition among automakers in EV range and fast-charging capabilities, an often overlooked yet critically important technological aspect – thermal management, and its core component, thermal conductive materials – silently ensures the stable operation and peak performance of these cutting-edge technologies.
Take the currently white-hot field of AI, for example. News reports constantly highlight high-performance GPUs like NVIDIA's H100/H200, which, with their unparalleled parallel computing capabilities, have become the cornerstone for training and running advanced AI models. However, these chips, while unleashing formidable computing power, also generate an astonishing amount of heat and consume significant power. It's frequently reported that a large-scale AI data center's energy consumption can rival that of a small city, with a substantial portion dedicated to cooling systems. Without efficient thermal conductive materials, such as thermal grease or pads applied between the GPU core and its heatsink, or more advanced solutions like vapor chambers and liquid metals, the immense heat generated by these chips cannot be swiftly and effectively dissipated. The direct consequence would be chip overheating, leading to drastically reduced performance, frequent system crashes, or even permanent damage to expensive hardware. It is precisely these thermal conductive materials that construct the "heat superhighways" from the chip to the cooling system, enabling AI servers to withstand the high-intensity, 24/7 operational demands that underpin the exciting AI breakthroughs we read about in the news. Without continuous advancements in thermal conductive material technology, the relentless march of AI computing power would likely hit a "thermal wall."
Turning our attention to another major area dominating news headlines – New Energy Vehicles (NEVs). Recent discussions frequently revolve around EV battery safety, charging speeds, and performance in various conditions, such as winter range. Power batteries, the heart of electric vehicles, inevitably generate substantial heat during charging and discharging cycles. The occasional news reports of EV fires are often linked to battery thermal runaway. To ensure driving safety and enhance battery performance and lifespan, thermal conductive materials play a life-saving role in the battery pack's thermal management system. For instance, highly thermally conductive potting compounds or gels are used to fill the gaps between battery cells and liquid cooling plates, efficiently and uniformly transferring heat from the cells to the cooling system. This effectively prevents localized overheating, thereby mitigating the risk of thermal runaway. Concurrently, as 800V high-voltage fast-charging technology becomes an industry trend, news highlights its ability to add hundreds of kilometers of range in mere minutes. This places even more stringent demands on battery thermal management. Efficient thermal conductive materials are key to achieving this, ensuring that battery temperatures remain controllable during high-current charging, safeguarding both charging safety and battery health. Furthermore, other high-power electronic components in NEVs, such as motor controllers and onboard chargers, also rely on thermal conductive materials to dissipate operational heat and ensure their stable, efficient operation.
In summary, whether it's the AI chips driving the Fourth Industrial Revolution or the New Energy Vehicles spearheading green transportation, these cutting-edge technologies frequently making news headlines are all critically dependent on the "unsung hero" that is thermal conductive material. While they may not be as attention-grabbing as chips or batteries themselves, they are the cornerstone ensuring these high-tech products operate safely, stably, and efficiently. As technology continues to advance, and device integration and power density relentlessly increase, the performance demands on thermal conductive materials will only escalate. Therefore, sustained attention and investment in the research and application of thermal conductive materials are of paramount strategic importance for the progress of the entire high-tech industry.
