Alloy Enterprises Develops Seamless Copper Cooling Plates for AI Data Centers

Alloy Enterprises has developed a metal bonding process to improve cooling efficiency in high-power data centers, according to TechCrunch. The startup's technology, called stack forging, bonds sheets of copper using heat and pressure to form seamless cold plates for GPUs and peripheral chips.

The company’s process replaces traditional machining and 3D printing methods, creating single-piece copper plates that can withstand high liquid-cooling pressures. These plates are designed to cool not only GPUs but also memory and networking components, which together account for about 20% of a server’s total cooling load.

Stack forging allows Alloy to produce internal cooling features as small as 50 microns, enhancing coolant flow and improving thermal performance by up to 35% compared to conventional solutions. In Alloy’s facility, copper sheets are laser-cut, coated with bonding inhibitors where necessary, stacked precisely, and diffusion-bonded into solid blocks.

Initially designed for aluminum, Alloy adapted the process for copper to meet the needs of data centers seeking better heat conductivity and corrosion resistance. Since announcing the copper-based product in June, the company has reported increased demand and is now collaborating with major data center operators.