AI-generated image for representation
Recently, Google launched its homegrown AI chips into orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of Project Suncatcher, its effort to develop solar-powered AI computing infrastructure in space.
The launch marked the project’s first in-orbit test, which aims to use continuously available solar power and the “infinite real estate” of orbit for AI computing. The technology, known as “elastocaloric cooling,” uses a titanium-nickel alloy film that changes shape in response to heat and drives a refrigeration cycle. The cooling process takes place through four steps involving the heating, deformation, cooling and recovery of the films, according to the researchers.
Data centers are putting increasing pressure on power grids as demand for computing continues to grow. Some companies are exploring alternatives such as solar-powered facilities while tech giants like Google and SpaceX are even planning to move data centers away from Earth. As this approach explores moving computing infrastructure off-planet, researchers in Japan and Germany are working on a way to tackle the data center cooling problem without leaving Earth. Their solution uses shape memory alloy films in a system called “elastocaloric cooling. The study, published in Nature Energy, presents a prototype that could eventually find applications in data centers and other computing devices, although the current system remains at the proof-of-concept stage. The prototype consists of a thermal actuator and a cooling unit. Its thermal actuator uses a shape memory alloy film made from titanium-nickel. When the film reaches a sufficiently high temperature, it stretches and generates force that elongates a separate refrigerant film. The system is designed to repeat the process continuously without requiring a conventional motor to drive the cooling operation. Data centers use substantial amounts of electricity, while conventional cooling systems can add to their energy requirements. Some cooling systems also use water. A cooling technology based on shape memory alloy films could potentially reduce the need for some conventional cooling infrastructure if it can be scaled.