Intel Develops Cost-Effective Disaggregated Heat Spreader Design for “Extra-Large” Advanced Packaging Chips

Intel Foundry researchers have unveiled a breakthrough in thermal and mechanical engineering for next-generation semiconductor designs. According to Intel’s official Foundry Research Blog and their newly published research paper, the company’s engineers have developed a new disaggregated heat spreader assembly approach designed specifically for large-scale, high-performance chips built using Intel’s Advanced Packaging technologies.

This new technique simplifies the traditionally complex process of heat spreader manufacturing by dividing it into modular components. Rather than fabricating a single, intricate metal piece to match advanced chip layouts, Intel’s engineers propose assembling several smaller, simpler components that can be produced using standard stamping techniques. The result is a 30 percent reduction in package warping, 25 percent reduction in thermal interface material (TIM) voids, and a 7 percent improvement in package coplanarity, all while lowering production costs and enhancing thermal efficiency.

Intel’s research notes that this new heat spreader design is particularly well-suited for “extra-large” chips that rely on multi-chiplet and 3D stacking architectures, where maintaining mechanical stability and efficient thermal transfer becomes increasingly difficult. The disaggregated approach uses optimized adhesives, flat plates, and stiffeners that provide both structural integrity and improved heat dissipation for chips exceeding 7000 mm² in size.

Traditional monolithic heat spreaders often require complex stepped cavities and multiple contact points to manage large chip designs, which dramatically increases manufacturing difficulty and cost. Conventional stamping cannot form such intricate geometries, and alternative methods like CNC machining raise production costs and slow supply chains. Intel’s new assembly process effectively eliminates these barriers by enabling high-volume, cost-effective production of larger chip packages using existing assembly lines and standard equipment.

The research demonstrates that by decoupling the heat spreader’s structure into several manageable parts, Intel can manufacture larger and more complex packages without compromising on mechanical or thermal performance. This approach also lays the groundwork for future hybrid cooling systems, including high-conductivity metal composites and integrated liquid cooling solutions, both of which are being explored by Intel Foundry engineers.

This innovation is a critical step forward in Intel’s mission to deliver scalable, thermally efficient solutions for high-power chips used in data centers, AI accelerators, and advanced computing workloads. By merging cost efficiency with thermal innovation, Intel is positioning its Foundry to lead the next wave of advanced packaging technologies in the AI era.

 
What do you think about Intel’s new approach to heat spreader design? Could this be the key to enabling the next generation of massive AI and data center processors?