New phone chips may use magnetic tricks for faster speed

New experimental phone chips might use magnetic energy recycling to boost speed, a change from current cooling methods.
By Newsroom | Technology, Mobile |

New approaches to chip design are investigating ways to manage heat more effectively, moving beyond traditional cooling methods to unlock faster performance in smartphones. The focus is shifting from simply dissipating heat to actively managing and even repurposing the energy that generates it.

Your phone's next speed boost may come from a strange magnetic jump that rewrites how chips handle heat - 1

Experimental chips are showing promise in recycling energy typically lost as heat, potentially leading to performance gains without requiring more power. This deviates from conventional chip design, which often wastes energy during rapid voltage changes.

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Traditional heatsinks can create hotspots on chips, leading to uneven cooling. Vapor chambers, which use liquid coolant to evaporate and spread heat across a larger area, offer a more effective way to draw heat away from hot chipsets. However, these are more complex to manufacture than basic metal heatsinks.

Your phone's next speed boost may come from a strange magnetic jump that rewrites how chips handle heat - 3

Even with advanced cooling, heat remains a significant factor in smartphone performance. Overheating directly impacts the CPU and GPU, causing phones to slow down, apps to crash, and batteries to drain faster. This phenomenon, known as "thermal throttling," is a built-in safety feature designed to prevent permanent damage by reducing performance when temperatures rise.

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Beyond chip-level solutions, external factors also contribute to heat generation. Charging, especially rapid charging, can warm up phones, and prolonged use for activities like binge-watching or gaming can cause them to overheat. Environmental factors, such as being in warm conditions or using weak Wi-Fi or excessive Bluetooth, can also exacerbate heat buildup.

The need to manage heat in such small devices is not new. Engineers have long faced challenges due to limited space, ruling out active cooling solutions like fans due to noise, maintenance, and power demands.

BACKGROUND

Early attempts to address chip heat involved adding materials like silicon paste and copper foil to create makeshift heatsinks, with some success in preventing device restarts or lockups. The fundamental issue is that excessive heat, particularly at temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, accelerates battery aging and slows down the entire smartphone.

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While cooling technologies evolve, the pursuit of reusing wasted energy represents a potential paradigm shift. An experimental chip called "Ice River" is designed to recapture energy normally dissipated as heat, a departure from standard chips that cannot reuse this lost energy. This innovation, coupled with more efficient heat management systems, could pave the way for faster, more robust mobile devices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How are new phone chips trying to get faster?
New phone chips are being designed to manage heat better using new methods, like recycling energy lost as heat, instead of just cooling them.
Q: What is the problem with current phone chips and heat?
Current chips can overheat, which makes phones slow down, apps crash, and batteries drain faster. This is called thermal throttling.
Q: What new idea are researchers testing for phone chips?
Researchers are testing a new idea to recycle energy that is usually lost as heat. An experimental chip called 'Ice River' is designed to do this.
Q: Why is managing heat important for phones?
Too much heat, especially over 30 degrees Celsius, makes phone batteries age faster and slows down the whole phone.
Q: Are there other things that make phones hot?
Yes, charging, especially fast charging, and using phones for games or videos can make them hot. Being in a warm place also makes them hotter.