Sustainable Cooling of Application-Specific Integrated Circuit Chips

This study investigates the thermal and electrical performance of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) computing cluster under varying coolant flow rates and thermoelectric cooler (TEC) configurations, using a hybrid TEC–liquid-cooling system. The effects of TEC quantity and spatial placement, along with coolant flow optimization, were examined in relation to chip temperature reduction, power consumption, and system-level energy efficiency. Results indicate that water cooling alone reduces ASIC temperatures by up to 24.5°C compared to air cooling, with diminishing returns beyond a critical flow rate. The integration of TECs further enhances thermal performance, particularly under medium- and low-frequency operation. A power-based coefficient of performance (COP) analysis reveals that strategically placed TECs can significantly improve thermal efficiency while maintaining low energy overhead. Importantly, this work underscores the synergistic potential of TEC–liquid hybrid cooling architectures in minimizing energy losses, extending device longevity, and reducing environmental impact. By enabling lower chip operating temperatures and improved power efficiency, the proposed system contributes to the development of sustainable thermal management strategies for high-power electronic systems, aligning with global efforts toward energy-efficient and environmentally responsible computing infrastructure.