Frore's active cooling chips promise to double laptop CPU performance

[Daniel Sims]

Something to look forward to: Heat is one of the biggest obstacles affecting processor performance, and dispersing it becomes harder on smaller devices. A San Jose company headed by tech industry veterans claims its upcoming product line can innovate mobile cooling and unlock significantly more performance in laptops and other small computing devices.

Frore announced that laptops featuring its AirJet active cooling chips would hit shelves early next year. The tech aims to replace conventional notebook fans. The company claims AirJet can double CPU performance in some configurations.

AirJet is a solid-state thermal solution that uses vibrating membranes to suck air into the top of the chip, push it into a copper heat spreader, and then force it out through the side. The system performs this task with around 1750 Pascals of back pressure, far more than typical laptop fans.

Using AirJet requires a laptop's chassis and PCB to be designed around it, so it will only appear in new models. The advantage is that it doesn't require underside intake vents – only rear vents. The high pressure also allows AirJet to work through dust-proof materials.

AirJet_Introduction_121422.mp4 from Mary Grace Viaje on Vimeo.

Frore will debut AirJet in two sizes — the AirJet Mini and AirJet Pro. The Mini can remove 5.25 watts of heat but needs only 1 watt of power and generates only 21 decibels (dBA) of noise. The company claims this more efficient heat dispersion can give CPUs enough additional thermal headroom to double performance in 13-inch notebooks and 10-inch tablets. Meanwhile, the Pro eliminates 10.5 watts of heat with 1.75 watts of power at 24 dBA, potentially improving performance in 15-inch laptops by 50 percent.

Frore didn't say anything about cooling GPUs --a significant source of heat in laptops --but one of its proof-of-concept papers mentions handheld gaming and shows a render resembling a Steam Deck. Valve advises against opening up its handheld PC but doesn't stop users from modding it, and Frore's diagrams depict where an AirJet Pro would theoretically fit. The AirJet chip would maintain the device's prior wattage but keep it cooler and quieter. Some more adventurous Steam Deck owners might be interested in shutting up its notoriously loud fan through customization.

Take Frore's numbers with a grain of salt until AirJet launches next year, and we can see real-world performance benchmarks. However, the company already has Qualcomm, GiS, and Intel backing. Intel plans to feature AirJet in future Evo reference laptops.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/97117-frore-active-cooling-chips-promise-double-laptop-cpu.html

 

[madboyv1]

I'd be down to giving an AirJet cooled system a go (after Techspot reviews one ha). A lot of laptops of recent memory are certainly pushing what performance they can achieve within a certain enclosure size and a common theme is that they run hot (often uncomfortably hot) and/or loud, and I'm interested in any solution that reduces those issues, especially one that is more than just a laboratory/science paper curiosity.

 

[Mr Majestyk]

This sounds very impressive and I really hope the performance claims are realised. If so I'll be waiting for laptops with this cooling system for sure.

 

[VariableSpike]

I'll keep an eye out, but this sounds very familiar to a thing GE seems to have invented nearly 10 years ago,and funnily enough they show it off working on a laptop and talk about it being better than a fan, hmm.....

 

[madboyv1]

I'll keep an eye out, but this sounds very familiar to a thing GE seems to have invented nearly 10 years ago,and funnily enough they show it off working on a laptop and talk about it being better than a fan, hmm.....

I vaguely remember that, and wondered what happened to it so I just did a google search. From what I can tell they put out a press release, tech sites picked it up, and then it fell off the map into obscurity in less than a year, shame really.

I'm tempted to request this research paper though: https://www.researchgate.net/public...ooling_applications_in_ultra-slim_electronics

 

[passingposeidon]

This is a big deal if it's true. Thermal headroom is what limits portables, this could close the gap to desktops but that begs the question: can the same technology be scaled up to desktops?

 

[Vanderlinde]

To see is believe. Untill that day, CPU's and GPU's get quite denser and the heat to cool in one spot gets quite difficult.

 

[Greggs]

This is a big deal if it's true. Thermal headroom is what limits portables, this could close the gap to desktops but that begs the question: can the same technology be scaled up to desktops?

Since it's currently maxes at 10.5W of heat dissipation by specification, first it has to prove it can do that in a working device then try to scale it to bigger laptops. So no, it's not closing any gaps yet and no desktop scaling until its beyond a prototype. Hopefully it will become something someday.

 

[madboyv1]

Recent video from PCWorld