The collaboration between the two companies drives a new generation of thermal technology for data centers, 5G towers, and extreme environments.
In a context of growing energy demand driven by the rise of artificial intelligence and the growth of telecommunications, Intel and the Irish company Nexalus have introduced an innovative cooling technology that not only cools processors efficiently but also recovers up to 95% of the heat generated by CPUs and GPUs for reuse as a sustainable thermal energy source.
The development is the result of more than two years of co-engineering between the teams at Intel and Nexalus, and it has been specifically designed for demanding environments such as 5G telecommunications base stations. These compact, sealed boxes, the size of a suitcase and rated IP66, house an advanced thermal exchange system that replaces traditional fans with cold plates and liquid microjets that cool the critical points of the chips directly.
High Energy Efficiency in Extreme Spaces
Each unit is capable of operating in extreme weather conditions, from sub-zero temperatures to desert environments with temperatures reaching 81 ºC during peak workloads. Thanks to intelligent heat exchange, the system not only prevents overheating but also generates hot water as a byproduct, opening up the possibility of reusing it for heating or domestic use in communities near data centers or industrial facilities.
“What used to dissipate into the air as wasted energy can now be channeled as a useful energy source,” explains Dr. Cathal Wilson, co-founder and chief operating officer of Nexalus. “Our vision is clear: to turn residual computing heat into a sustainable opportunity.”
Strategic Collaboration with Intel
Intel has provided critical information on the thermal design of its Intel® Xeon® processors, including the cores that generate the most heat under load. This information allowed Nexalus to optimize its cooling algorithms and precisely tailor its thermal solutions to the chip’s hotspots.
According to Uzair Qureshi, systems architect for Intel’s Edge Compute Group, “We spent over nine months subjecting the systems to extreme testing to ensure that the CPU and GPU would operate without throttling, even in adverse conditions.”
In addition to solutions for CPUs, the joint work has led to innovative designs such as the Intel Flex Single-Slot GPU Block and new cooling systems for network cards like the Intel® Ethernet E810 controllers. These solutions even allow for extreme overclocking of Xeon processors, raising them from 270 to 900 watts without compromising performance, as is already used in demanding sectors like Formula 1.
Toward a New Thermal Model for High-Performance Computing
The collaboration between Nexalus and Intel marks a milestone in how thermal energy is managed in modern digital infrastructure. While traditional data centers consume large amounts of energy and generate heat as waste, Nexalus’s approach proposes to close the loop: to use that heat as a resource.
“We are redefining the role of cooling in hardware design,” says Dirk Blevins, senior director at Intel. “Nexalus represents a smart and efficient alternative to current models, and its solution is already being evaluated by leading OEMs and telecommunications operators.”
Looking to the future, this technology not only enhances the performance of CPUs and GPUs but also offers a more eco-friendly and circular model for digital infrastructure. A commitment that transforms heat into value.
