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The latest innovation to address overheating in smartphones is a one-millimeter-thick active micro-cooling device, courtesy of California-based company xMEMS Labs, which unveiled its XMC-2400 µCooling chip on August 20.
The xMEMS XMC-2400 µCooling chip is the first-ever silent, vibration-free, all-silicon, active micro-cooling fan that provides a compact solution for thermal management in electronic devices.
“Our revolutionary µCooling ‘fan-on-a-chip’ design comes at a critical time in mobile computing,” said Joseph Jiang, xMEMS CEO and co-founder. Recently, manufacturers have been racing to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) apps into smartphones without sacrificing their size. That has become a challenge as AI models tend to overheat, and existing cooling methods for processors take up too much space.
With the newly launched XMC-2400 chip, that is no longer a problem.
xMEMS Labs leveraged its microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology in building the chip, which operates at ultrasonic frequencies to generate a strong airflow that dissipates heat. The fabrication process was based on the company’s earlier product, the xMEMS Cypress full-range micro speaker for ANC in-ear wireless earbuds.
Weighing less than 150 milligrams, the XMC-2400 cooling chip measures only 9.26 x 7.6 x 1.08 millimeters. This makes it 96% smaller and lighter than non-silicon-based, active-cooling alternatives. Further, when compared to AirJet, a similar tech developed by rival Frore Systems, it is four times smaller.
Additionally, it can move up to 39 cubic centimeters of air per second—16 times more than AirJet—with 1,000 Pascals of back pressure. In a demo, the lab showed the chip generating enough airflow to push a small fan.
The all-silicon solution also stands out with its semiconductor reliability, part-to-part uniformity, high robustness, and a positive IP58 rating, which makes it completely dust-tight.
These properties make the XMC-2400 cooling chip ideal for smartphones and tablets, where space is limited and energy efficiency is a high requirement. The company also claimed that the product could be used in external SSDs, wireless chargers, virtual—and mixed-reality goggles, and other advanced mobile devices.
“With µCooling, we are changing people’s perception of thermal management. The XMC-2400 is designed to actively cool even the smallest handheld form factors, enabling the thinnest, most high-performance, AI-ready mobile devices. It’s hard to imagine tomorrow’s smartphones and other thin, performance-oriented devices without xMEMS µCooling technology,” Jiang stated.
Starting in September of this year, the XMC-2400 chip is slated to be demonstrated to lead partners and customers at the xMEMS Live events in Shenzen and Taipei. The company is eyeing to sample the cooling chip to customers in the first quarter of 2025.
