Cooling for the Gigawatt Era: JetCool’s Roadmap for AI Data Centers
As AI data centers push into the gigawatt era, cooling is moving to center stage—not just to keep systems within spec, but to enable the next generation of compute.
At the recent AI Infra Summit in Santa Clara, Jeniece Wnorowski and I sat down with Scott Twomey, Senior Director of Global Business Development at Flex, for a Data Insights conversation on how the company is scaling advanced cooling technologies for the AI era.
Flex is best known as a global manufacturing powerhouse, operating more than 100 locations across 30 countries. With 17 U.S. facilities spanning seven million square feet and an additional nine million in Mexico, Flex also has one of the largest advanced manufacturing footprints in North America. In 2024, it acquired JETCOOL Technologies Inc., a leader in advanced thermal management solutions. Together, the teams are integrating JetCool’s patented microconvective cooling technology into Flex’s global manufacturing and data center infrastructure. Combined with Flex’s comprehensive compute and power solutions, including vertical power delivery, they deliver a vertically integrated approach to power, cooling, and rack infrastructure—streamlining deployment for hyperscale AI systems.
As part of Flex, JetCool specializes in single-phase, direct-to-chip cooling technology that uses an array of microjets to target processor hot spots directly, delivering a significantly lower thermal resistance than conventional microchannel cooling. This technology is now integrated into Flex’s server reference platforms, improving heat transfer, minimizing heat gradients, and stabilizing CPU temperatures across complex silicon architectures and IT stacks. The outcome is faster time-to-market, higher performing chipsets, and better thermal management for the industry’s most demanding workloads.
Twomey shared how Flex is helping scale JetCool’s production globally, leveraging its advanced manufacturing footprint and expertise to bring liquid cooling solutions to market faster. Together, they’re expanding their cooling portfolio and building a unified thermal roadmap—from SmartPlate cold plates and embedded semiconductor cooling to vertically integrated liquid-cooled racks—to meet both current and future AI cooling demands.
An End-to-End Liquid Cooling Portfolio
As JetCool builds out their liquid cooling ecosystem, the company is evolving into a comprehensive, end-to-end liquid cooling provider—streamlining deployments through a single partner. Backed by Flex’s global manufacturing infrastructure, JetCool is expanding its portfolio to support deployments from the die level to the rack, row, and facility systems. This broader offering flattens supply chains, reduces vendor integration friction, and enables easier customization of modular liquid cooling solutions. The current product line includes cold plates, coolant distribution units, manifolds, and quick disconnects, with more in development for 2026. With Flex’s support, JetCool is positioned to deliver scalable, integrated cooling solutions that meet the evolving demands of AI infrastructure.
Designing for the Gigawatt Era
Rising power density and thermal loads are now a structural trend, not a spike. The response must be continuous engineering—greater thermal capacity, faster design cycles, tightly integrated solutions, and architectures that scale generation over generation. Cooling can’t be an afterthought; it must advance in lockstep with processor TDP, with built-in headroom for future Superchips.
“One of the many reasons that we looked at JetCool from an acquisition standpoint is that they did have a portfolio of solutions to address the here and the now as well as the future,” he said.
SmartPlate, SmartLid, and SmartSilicon
JetCool’s strategy spans three tiers to match rising processor thermal design power (TDP).
SmartPlate is a fully sealed liquid cold plate designed for specific processor families, cooling over 4,000 watts per socket.
SmartLid extends headroom by removing both thermal interface layers to directly route fluid to the processor lid, cooling over 5,000 watts per socket, preparing for the next wave of ultra-dense accelerators.
SmartSilicon embeds JetCool’s microjet array directly into the silicon substrate—an approach that requires tight collaboration with end customers, chipmakers, and foundry partners.
Together, these solutions give customers a clear path from current high-TDP processors to tomorrow’s even denser AI hardware.
TechArena Take
The gigawatt era is redefining what’s possible in AI data center cooling. As GPU power envelopes climb toward 5,000 watts and beyond, incremental improvements won’t cut it. Cooling is becoming a strategic enabler, not a support function.
JetCool and Flex’s roadmap—from SmartPlates to SmartSilicon—reflects the kind of multi-layered innovation and manufacturing scale the industry will need. By combining Flex’s global manufacturing muscle with integrated solution design, JetCool is positioning itself as a key player in scaling high-density, AI-optimized data centers.
Watch the full podcast | Subscribe to our newsletter
*Microconvetive cooling, SmartPlate and SmartLid are JetCool trademarks.
As AI data centers push into the gigawatt era, cooling is moving to center stage—not just to keep systems within spec, but to enable the next generation of compute.
At the recent AI Infra Summit in Santa Clara, Jeniece Wnorowski and I sat down with Scott Twomey, Senior Director of Global Business Development at Flex, for a Data Insights conversation on how the company is scaling advanced cooling technologies for the AI era.
Flex is best known as a global manufacturing powerhouse, operating more than 100 locations across 30 countries. With 17 U.S. facilities spanning seven million square feet and an additional nine million in Mexico, Flex also has one of the largest advanced manufacturing footprints in North America. In 2024, it acquired JETCOOL Technologies Inc., a leader in advanced thermal management solutions. Together, the teams are integrating JetCool’s patented microconvective cooling technology into Flex’s global manufacturing and data center infrastructure. Combined with Flex’s comprehensive compute and power solutions, including vertical power delivery, they deliver a vertically integrated approach to power, cooling, and rack infrastructure—streamlining deployment for hyperscale AI systems.
As part of Flex, JetCool specializes in single-phase, direct-to-chip cooling technology that uses an array of microjets to target processor hot spots directly, delivering a significantly lower thermal resistance than conventional microchannel cooling. This technology is now integrated into Flex’s server reference platforms, improving heat transfer, minimizing heat gradients, and stabilizing CPU temperatures across complex silicon architectures and IT stacks. The outcome is faster time-to-market, higher performing chipsets, and better thermal management for the industry’s most demanding workloads.
Twomey shared how Flex is helping scale JetCool’s production globally, leveraging its advanced manufacturing footprint and expertise to bring liquid cooling solutions to market faster. Together, they’re expanding their cooling portfolio and building a unified thermal roadmap—from SmartPlate cold plates and embedded semiconductor cooling to vertically integrated liquid-cooled racks—to meet both current and future AI cooling demands.
An End-to-End Liquid Cooling Portfolio
As JetCool builds out their liquid cooling ecosystem, the company is evolving into a comprehensive, end-to-end liquid cooling provider—streamlining deployments through a single partner. Backed by Flex’s global manufacturing infrastructure, JetCool is expanding its portfolio to support deployments from the die level to the rack, row, and facility systems. This broader offering flattens supply chains, reduces vendor integration friction, and enables easier customization of modular liquid cooling solutions. The current product line includes cold plates, coolant distribution units, manifolds, and quick disconnects, with more in development for 2026. With Flex’s support, JetCool is positioned to deliver scalable, integrated cooling solutions that meet the evolving demands of AI infrastructure.
Designing for the Gigawatt Era
Rising power density and thermal loads are now a structural trend, not a spike. The response must be continuous engineering—greater thermal capacity, faster design cycles, tightly integrated solutions, and architectures that scale generation over generation. Cooling can’t be an afterthought; it must advance in lockstep with processor TDP, with built-in headroom for future Superchips.
“One of the many reasons that we looked at JetCool from an acquisition standpoint is that they did have a portfolio of solutions to address the here and the now as well as the future,” he said.
SmartPlate, SmartLid, and SmartSilicon
JetCool’s strategy spans three tiers to match rising processor thermal design power (TDP).
SmartPlate is a fully sealed liquid cold plate designed for specific processor families, cooling over 4,000 watts per socket.
SmartLid extends headroom by removing both thermal interface layers to directly route fluid to the processor lid, cooling over 5,000 watts per socket, preparing for the next wave of ultra-dense accelerators.
SmartSilicon embeds JetCool’s microjet array directly into the silicon substrate—an approach that requires tight collaboration with end customers, chipmakers, and foundry partners.
Together, these solutions give customers a clear path from current high-TDP processors to tomorrow’s even denser AI hardware.
TechArena Take
The gigawatt era is redefining what’s possible in AI data center cooling. As GPU power envelopes climb toward 5,000 watts and beyond, incremental improvements won’t cut it. Cooling is becoming a strategic enabler, not a support function.
JetCool and Flex’s roadmap—from SmartPlates to SmartSilicon—reflects the kind of multi-layered innovation and manufacturing scale the industry will need. By combining Flex’s global manufacturing muscle with integrated solution design, JetCool is positioning itself as a key player in scaling high-density, AI-optimized data centers.
Watch the full podcast | Subscribe to our newsletter
*Microconvetive cooling, SmartPlate and SmartLid are JetCool trademarks.
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