Electrical Efficiency

Eva will develop novel devices to build analog processors that could drastically improve the energy efficiency of training complex artificial intelligence (AI) models. Eva’s proposed technology—a new class of nanoprotonic programmable resistors—would reduce the programming voltage of the devices for integration compatibility with standard circuit drivers and overhaul the device structures with an encapsulant to enable monolithic integration. The resulting processors could outperform existing digital AI training hardware solutions by over 240 times.

GaNify will develop a unique power switch for gyrotron modulators in nuclear fusion systems that could switch 50-kV/1-A in less than a microsecond without the need to stack multiple switches in series. Their design would significantly reduce the complexity and shorten the modulation voltage rise time, effectively pushing the voltage limit of solid-state power switches toward the high voltage regime.

University of Notre Dame will develop a novel low-cost power transistor design that leverages the properties of the semiconductor gallium nitride for mid-range voltage applications and could disrupt the market for devices in electric vehicles, renewable energy grid integration, industrial power control, and grid resilience. The proposed design could lead to possible energy savings of one quadrillion British Thermal Units (BTU) per year, roughly equivalent to 1% of annual energy consumption in the U.S.

North Carolina State University will develop a method to fabricate electrically conductive thick gallium nitride crystals that could be used in the manufacturing of substrates for vertical gallium nitride semiconductors. North Carolina State University’s pristine semiconductor substrates—composed of a material that can operate at higher temperatures and withstand higher voltages than silicon—would enable more efficient power delivery, bringing higher currents and voltages within reach in power electronics.

Texas Tech University will develop a novel method for producing electronic grade cubic boron nitride semiconductor wafers that could equip electronic devices to operate in extreme temperatures and conditions. The wafers—formed from microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition—would enable power devices that handle higher voltages and currents, furthering advancements in power distributions, electric transportation, nuclear energy, national security, health care, and material sciences.

The University of Florida is developing a disruptive thermal management solution proposed for cooling future CPU and GPU chips at unprecedented heat flux and power levels in data centers server racks. The new technology allows for significant future growth in processor power, rejects heat directly to the ambient air external to the data center, and would facilitate adoption within the existing data center infrastructure with a primary liquid cooling loop.

Purdue University, Binghamton University, and Seguente Inc. will develop an innovative chip-level direct two-phase impingement jet cooling solution to drastically enhance overall thermal performance while reducing pumping power. The design includes new algorithms for topology optimization of the cooling structure, novel on-chip direct printing methods for laser powder bed fusion of multi-porosity wicks, and an additively manufactured multi-input\multi-output fluid distribution manifold.

Flexnode will develop a prefabricated, modularly designed EDGE data center that will leverage four key component and system-level technology advancements: a novel manifold microchannel heatsink, a chassis-based hybrid immersion cooling approach, a cost-effective additive manufacturing-enabled dry cooling heat exchanger system, and a topology optimized container housing the entire system.

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will develop an innovative cooling paradigm capable of both minimal energy use and maximum cooling power for future servers. Their design integrates high-performance thermal interface materials, coefficient of thermal expansion matched and reliable silicon carbide coolers, topology optimization-based design automation coupled with silicon carbide additive manufacturing, robust and cost-effective single-phase water cooling, and high primary-side temperatures to enable efficient heat dissipation to the ambient.

Raytheon Technologies Research Center will develop Extra Efficient Data Centers with Avionics Cooling Technology (EXTRACT) with a cross-industry collaborative team. Targeted heat removal from high-power processors will be achieved with Ribbon Oscillating Heat Pipes (RHPs). Heat is extracted from servers with integrated, passive, and reliable heat spreading. The RHP technology, with record-low thermal resistance, could enable a transformational reduction in the power consumption of future data centers.