This startup’s metal stacks could help solve AI’s massive heat problem (techcrunch.com)

As GPU racks surge toward 480–600 kW per cabinet (Nvidia’s Rubin Ultra-era projections), data centers face a renewed cooling crisis—especially for peripheral components like RAM and networking chips that make up roughly 20% of a server’s thermal load. Alloy Enterprises announced a manufacturing approach called “stack forging” that turns stacked copper sheets into seamless cold plates designed to fit tight spaces, tolerate high liquid-cooling pressures, and cool both GPUs and previously hard-to-service peripherals. The startup says the plates deliver about 35% better thermal performance than competitors and are purpose-built for next-generation high-power racks. The process blends additive-style design freedom with manufacturing economics: laser-cut copper slices are coated in selective inhibitors, registered, stacked, then diffusion-bonded under heat and pressure into a single block with no seam or porosity (avoiding machined seams and 3D-print porosity). Alloy can form features down to ~50 microns to increase coolant contact area, and it moved from aluminum to copper for superior conductivity and corrosion resistance. The company handles most internal design translation through software, is engaging major data-center players, and says June’s product reveal drove strong demand—suggesting its tech could become a practical enabler for the liquid-cooled, multi-megawatt AI infrastructure era.