The scientists at the Zurich IBM laboratories have announced that they have discovered a technology by which water can be pumped inside 3D chips for better cooling. The discovery is of extreme importance because, even though the technology for creating multiple layer integrated circuits already exists, the heat that such devices dissipate makes them extremely difficult to use.

The reason for which 3D chip technology is better than the 2D one, is the fact that stacking silicon chips containing either processing circuits or memory circuits one above the other shortens the path between them by as much as 1,000 times, which eventually translates in the system working both faster and safer.

Another reason for which the 3D architecture is considered better, is the fact that it allows more interconnections between the chips that are stacked together.

However, this type of devices dissipate more that 10 times the heat that the other ones do, making them impossible to be cooled with standard devices such as heat sinks or fans placed on top of them.

The new technology developed by IBM is based on cooling the chips from inside, by pumping water through small pipes that have the diameter of a hair and that are drilled between the chip’s layers. These little pipes are insulated with silicon oxide to ensure that water stays away from the electrical circuits.

The technology is expected to become available in the next 5 to 6 years. The 3D chips that will be cooled using IBM’s discovery will be used inside supercomputers, where such technology is best suited.