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One of the biggest problems with computers, dating to the invention of the first one, has been finding ways to keep them cool so that they don't overheat or shut down.
Instead of combating the heat, two University of Nebraska-Lincoln engineers have embraced it as an alternative energy source that would allow computing at ultra-high temperatures.
Sidy Ndao, assistant professor of mechanical and materials engineering, said his research group's development of a nano-thermal-mechanical device, or thermal diode, came after flipping around the question of how to better cool computers.
"If you think about it, whatever you do with electricity you should (also) be able to do with heat, because they are similar in many ways," Ndao said. "In principle, they are both energy carriers. If you could control heat, you could use it to do computing and avoid the problem of overheating."
They documented their device working in temperatures up to 630 degrees Fahrenheit (332 Celsius).
(Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Thursday April 20 2017, @02:58PM (1 child)
You could run a generator on the temperature difference between the chip and the environment. Of course there would still be thermodynamic limits on its efficiency, but you could use *some* of that energy again.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Thursday April 20 2017, @05:40PM
What's the efficiency, at temperatures that don't endanger the chip?