Scientists In Germany And Japan Prototype Electricity-Free Cooling System For Data Centers

Researchers from Germany’s Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Japan’s University of Tsukuba have developed an electricity-free solid-state cooling system for data centers. The prototype uses two ultra-thin nickel-titanium shape-memory films to convert waste heat into mechanical work and cooling power without an electric motor. The technology could improve cooling efficiency, with cooling systems currently accounting for up to 40% of a data center’s power consumption.

“The crucial innovation is that we combine two complementary functions of shape memory alloys, with one film converting heat into mechanical work and the other film converting this work into cold,” said Dr. Jingyuan Xu, who leads the young investigator group of the ZEco Thermal Lab at KIT’s Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT). “This way, we’re establishing a new approach to drive solid-state cooling, thereby opening up exciting possibilities for the use of waste heat and solar energy.”

The prototype achieved a 4°C temperature difference at an actuator temperature of 86°C. While this is below the 10–20°C heat removal achieved by conventional cooling systems, researchers say the results demonstrate the feasibility of electricity-free solid-state cooling for data centers.

“We believe that this is only the beginning,” said Dr. Xu. “By scaling up this technology, we want to develop compact cooling systems that leverage abundantly available heat sources for sustainable cooling.”