It’s not often that I post tech-related stuffs here on TFW, but when I read this piece on Mashable this morning it blew my mind to tiny little pieces so I thought I’d share it with you guys.
IBM is looking for a way to cool computers the way the human body cools the brain because one of the major setbacks when it comes to boosting computing power and processing speeds is overheating.
IBM’s Patrick Ruch and Bruno have built a proof-of-concept computer chip that contains tiny channels that would circulate an electrolyte fluid past electronic components in order to cool them down.
If you look at the way computer chips are currently built, they all conform to a thin, flat structure. This is done to allow circulating air that’s drawn in by fans to cool the components as efficiently as possible.
However, if the guys at IBM are able to perfect this technology, it would mean we could fatten computer chips into block-like structures that would be far more effective than the ones we’re currently using.
Ruch and Bruno are also tinkering with the idea of using this electronic blood to deliver energy to the chips it flows through. The idea is that as the fluid passes electrodes, those electrodes would pick up electrons from the fluid and use them to create current.
It’s a pretty intense project and it’s applications are insane. Google alone spends millions of dollars on air conditioning bills to keep it’s data centres cool, which expend enough energy per year to power 200 000 homes.
A part of me can’t help thinking that this will definitely be a huge step forward in terms of the robot apocalypse that will eventually annihilate all of mankind but yeah… electronic blood man!
Far out… 
-ST
