Liquid Cooling Cold Plate for Data Centers: Quality & Procurement Guide
As AI chips push beyond air cooling, liquid cooling cold plates become the critical heat-removal component. This guide covers material, manufacturing and supplier-audit essentials.
1. Copper vs Aluminum
| Material | Thermal Conductivity | Weight | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copper (C1100/C1020) | ~385–401 W/m·K | Heavier | High heat-flux AI/HPC chips |
| Aluminum (6063-T5) | ~200 W/m·K | Lighter | Lower power, cost-sensitive |
2. Manufacturing & Channel Design
- Micro-channel or serpentine channel design for uniform flow
- Brazing, friction welding or O-ring sealed assembly
- Surface treatment: nickel plating (copper), anodizing (aluminum)
- Flow uniformity: deviation ≤3% across parallel channels
3. Leak & Pressure Testing (the Non-Negotiables)
- Helium mass-spectrometer leak test — leak rate ≤ 1×10⁻⁹ Pa·m³/s
- Hydraulic pressure test (commonly up to 2.5 MPa)
- 100% inspection, traceable records per batch
4. Supplier Audit Checklist
Check: ISO 9001 certification, clean-room or controlled assembly, material certificates (MTC), test reports, and reference installations in AI/HPC data centers.
5. ASPER's Liquid Cooling Line
ASPER 阿斯珀尔 (Foshan Asper New Material Co., Ltd.) is expanding into data center liquid cooling: 316L stainless manifolds (rack/row/facility levels, one-piece formed, flow deviation ≤3%, helium-tested ≤1×10⁻⁹ Pa·m³/s, 2.5 MPa rated) supplied for Huawei super-node AI clusters and NVIDIA H100/GB200 high-density racks, with cold plate development underway.
Evaluating a cold plate or manifold supplier? Talk to ASPER's cooling team — spec review → sample → pilot batch → volume.
E-mail: jeson2002@126.com · Foshan, Guangdong, China