As large edge AI models are extensively deployed down to diverse hardware including smartphones, XR glasses, smart wearables, and portable computing terminals, the computing power and power consumption of the devices’ main control NPUs and SoCs surge simultaneously. Meanwhile, the ultra-thin chassis space is heavily occupied by batteries, displays, and electronic components. Constrained by chassis thickness, conventional passive cooling solutions such as VC vapor chambers and graphite sheets fail to rapidly dissipate heat generated by high-density hotspots. This results in performance throttling and overheating under heavy workloads, a universal pain point plaguing the entire industry.
Chip-level active cooling technology centered on piezoelectric MEMS synthetic jets has emerged as a pivotal solution to resolve thermal bottlenecks in slim smart terminals, thanks to its miniaturized footprint, low power draw, and compatibility with SMT surface-mount integration. Piezoelectric MEMS cooling components convert energy via the inverse piezoelectric effect of piezoelectric thin-film materials, setting them apart from traditional bearing-equipped miniature centrifugal fans. Driven by alternating low-voltage electrical signals, piezoelectric thin films vibrate rapidly back and forth, driving periodic expansion and contraction of the cavity volume.
During cavity expansion, air is drawn in from inside the device; in the compression phase, gas is ejected at high velocity in a targeted direction to form pulsed synthetic jet airflow. The airflow strikes the surface of core heat sources like CPUs and NPUs directly, breaking the stagnant layer of hot air surrounding heat sources and drastically boosting convective heat transfer efficiency to deliver targeted active heat conduction.
Leveraging micron-scale MEMS wafer fabrication processes, the complete assembly consisting of vibrating cavities, piezoelectric actuators, and flow guide structures can be manufactured at the wafer level on silicon wafers, followed by chip-scale packaging. The finished products resemble semiconductor chips and support SMT soldering onto PCB mainboards, enabling installation in narrow gaps inaccessible to conventional fans. This constitutes the core manufacturing advantage that differentiates MEMS cooling from traditional micro-fans.
Two primary technical architectures have evolved in the industry. The first is the universal multi-cavity piezoelectric fan design, the mainstream solution adopted by AAC Technologies and Frore Systems. The second is a synthetic jet cooler pioneered by the research team led by Pang Wei and Zhang Menglun from the State Key Laboratory of Precision Measuring Technology and Instruments at Tianjin University in their recently published research. Built upon partially mechanically decoupled actuator structures, this design cuts vibrational energy loss through optimized internal mechanical connections, further lowering overall device power consumption and elevating heat exchange efficiency.
Figure: Energy-Saving Piezoelectric MEMS Cooling Chip for Compact Electronic Devices with Partially Mechanically Decoupled Actuators
Frore Systems is the world’s first enterprise to achieve large-scale commercialization of piezoelectric MEMS cooling. Its AirJet product line targets medium-to-high power consumption devices and dominates markets including thin-and-light laptops, mini PCs, and edge AI boards with high back pressure and strong heat dissipation capacity. The flagship AirJet Mini measures 41.6×27.3×2.8 mm, with a full-load power draw of 1 W and a maximum heat dissipation of 5.25 W per unit; its upgraded G2 variant boosts cooling performance to 7.5 W. The high-end AirJet Pro delivers up to 10.5 W of heat removal per chip. The device supports a back pressure of up to 1750 Pa and can be cascaded into PAK modules. Multi-chip combinations deliver a peak cooling capacity of 34 W, compatible with Jetson edge computing platforms and automotive domain controllers. Beyond air cooling, Frore has expanded into LiquidJet wafer microchannel liquid cooling technology for high-density GPU thermal management in AI servers, covering both consumer electronics and data center markets. However, the relatively bulky overall form factor prevents AirJet from fitting ultra-slim devices such as smartwatches and XR headsets.
xMEMS adopts an all-silicon MEMS cooling architecture optimized for extreme miniaturization, with an ultra-thin 1.13 mm thickness across its entire lineup. The all-silicon MEMS process eliminates mechanical wear, delivers high reliability, and achieves IP68 waterproof rating. The XMC-2400 is engineered for AI smartphones, AR glasses and smartwatches, sized at 9.48×7.42×1.13 mm. It dissipates roughly 2.5 W of heat at 150 mW power consumption, ranking among the few cooling chips small enough to fit inside XR frame cavities. The upgraded XMC-4800 caters to 400G–1.6T high-speed optical modules, enterprise-grade SSDs and server VRMs, resolving thermal challenges for high-density communication components and filling the gap of built-in active cooling for optical modules.
AAC Technologies recently announced that its CoolFan piezoelectric cooling chip has finished prototype fabrication and entered low-volume trial production, with mass shipment scheduled for early 2027. The complete device reaches an ultra-slim 1 mm thickness, over 50% thinner than conventional micro-fans. Under low-voltage operation, it provides airflow ≥3 L/Min, restricts power consumption to 100 mW, generates back pressure exceeding 500 Pa, and operates at noise levels as low as 30 dB, balancing quiet operation, low power draw and high cooling efficiency. Natively compatible with SMT mounting, the product is undergoing system validation with leading device manufacturers. End products equipped with CoolFan are expected to launch in H1 2027 for AI smartphones, smartwatches and XR glasses, while the company also explores applications in emerging hardware such as dexterous robot hands.
The synthetic jet cooler developed by Tianjin University’s research team based on partially mechanically decoupled actuator structures features an exceptionally compact package footprint of only 6 mm×6.7 mm×2.1 mm, making it the smallest air-convection MEMS cooler reported in public literature. It delivers an airflow velocity of 3.4 m/s with a mere 69 mW full-load power consumption—one-fifth that of traditional micro-fans. It reduces hotspot temperature from 85°C to 55°C, achieves a heat transfer coefficient of 72 W/m²K (three times that of passive cooling), and boasts a COP of 12.7, meaning 1 unit of electrical input removes 12.7 units of heat. Compared with Frore’s AirJet Mini, it has a 40× smaller footprint and 15× lower power consumption, with single-chip heat removal of 1.1 W. It is ideally suited for slim wearable devices, and cascaded multiple units can meet cooling demands for gaming phones and tablets. Currently at lab prototype stage for academic research, it is poised for industrialization via technology licensing in the future.
As manufacturing processes mature and costs decline, MEMS active cooling will rapidly penetrate from premium flagship hardware to mid-tier consumer electronics, evolving into an indispensable core technology within thermal management systems for future smart devices. It will also expand into automotive, server and industrial hardware sectors, driving continuous performance upgrades for smart terminals across all industries.