Diamond-Cooled GPUs Boost Compute by 15%
Akash Systems has delivered the first NVIDIA GPU servers cooled with synthetic diamond, a new technology additive to existing air and liquid cooling. The company claims its 'Diamond Cooling' solution provides throttle-free performance, increasing GPU compute by approximately 15% in data centers with high ambient temperatures.
- Synthetic diamond is up to five times more thermally conductive than copper at room temperature, allowing it to dissipate heat more effectively in high-power electronics. Akash Systems' technology reduces GPU hotspot temperatures by 10-20°C in systems that already utilize advanced liquid cooling. - Thermal throttling is a protective measure where a GPU automatically reduces its clock speed and power consumption to prevent damage from excessive heat, which can significantly slow down machine learning training and inference tasks. By mitigating this, Akash claims its solution can increase compute performance by approximately 15% in data centers with high ambient temperatures. - The recipient of the first diamond-cooled servers, NxtGen AI Pvt. Ltd., is building India's largest dedicated AI factory and is a major NVIDIA partner, with plans to deploy over 4,000 Blackwell series GPUs. The deal with Akash Systems is valued at $27 million. - Akash Systems was founded in 2016 by Felix Ejeckam and Ty Mitchell and initially focused on using its Gallium Nitride (GaN)-on-Diamond material for satellite communications technology. The company has received backing from prominent venture capital firms including Khosla Ventures and Founders Fund. - The U.S. Department of Commerce has awarded Akash Systems up to $18.2 million in direct funding under the CHIPS and Science Act to support the construction of a 40,000-square-foot cleanroom for advanced semiconductor manufacturing. - In a demonstration on an NVIDIA RTX 4070 GPU, Akash Systems showed its diamond cooling technology reduced the chip's hot spot temperature from 72.6°C to 62.3°C under the same external cooling conditions. The company plans to release aftermarket diamond cooling solutions for other NVIDIA systems, including the Blackwell series.
