Diamond is emerging as a mainstream thermal conductor for AI GPU servers, promising 25% better overclocking capacity and double performance-per-watt gains.
Diamond is emerging as a potentially transformative innovation in GPU cooling, offering significant improvements in performance and efficiency for hyperscaler data center servers running AI tools. Akash Systems' 'Diamond Cooled' servers reduce GPU hotspot temperatures in NVIDIA and AMD systems that already use advanced liquid cooling technologies by an impressive 10°-20°C. The company's Diamond Cooling technology is designed to complement existing thermal solutions, such as liquid immersion cooling, by integrating synthetic diamond, a material five times more thermally conductive than copper.
The performance gains enabled by this technology are substantial. Building on Akash's prior success in using diamond cooling for satellite applications, the accelerated heat dissipation proves vital for GPUs, where operating temperatures often exceed 90°-100°C. In practice, this could enable GPUs to perform beyond their usual limits, achieving up to 25% overclocking capabilities. Additionally, the servers reduce thermal throttling, allowing GPUs to sustain maximum performance workloads.
The efficiency improvements are equally impressive. The servers boost AI energy efficiency by reducing GPU fan speeds by 50%, which results in a 90% reduction in fan energy consumption. Additionally, server lifetimes are effectively doubled, minimizing maintenance and replacement costs.
In December 2024, Akash secured a $27 million contract to deploy its Diamond Cooled servers across NxtGen datacentres in India, following the company's approval for up to $68 million in funding under the CHIPS and Science Act by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Felix Ejeckam, CEO and co-founder of Akash Systems, stated that "Our Diamond Cooled GPU servers will empower NxtGen to deliver unparalleled performance and reliability to their customers, reinforcing their position as a leader in AI and other compute Solutions." Vinod Khosla, founder of Khosla Ventures, highlighted the technology's role in accelerating AI workloads.
NxtGen's CEO and Managing Director, A S Rajgopal, underscored the commercial impact: "Through a combination of Akash's Diamond Cooling, waterless liquid cooling, and advanced GPUs from NVIDIA and AMD, we are able to double the performance per watt. This allows us to reduce the cost to our customers and bring down the cost of AI compute services by more than 50% from prevailing market rates and enable us to deliver very high-value AI use-cases to our customers."