The typical ways of cooling a PC are through spinning fans or passive cooling, but a San Jose-based startup called Frore Systems is looking to introduce a third way with its AirJet technology. The AirJet system uses micro-electromechanical systems to shoot air out of a solid-state chip and provide a cooling device that is thinner and quieter than most fans can manage. Frore has raised $116 million for its technology, and it could offer an alternative for those looking to build compact, fanless PCs that still provide a level of performance.
At Computex 2023, Frore announced that Zotac will be the first company to release an AirJet-cooled mini-PC with a barebone bring-your-own-SSD box designed for edge computing, IoT, and digital signage. While the PC itself is not a high-performing device, the way it utilizes the AirJet technology is impressive. The AirJet Mini system was continuously spinning a rotor during a visit to Frore’s HQ, and two of the new Picos with and without AirJets were seen running the same graphics stress test, with the one without an AirJet failing to maintain quality performance.
The company has not let anyone see inside the AirJet yet, but the company’s Founder and CEO, Seshu Madhavapeddy, says the AirJet uses vibrating membranes to create a suction force that pulls air through the top of the device, pushes it down with high velocity, and then impinges it on the copper heat spreader at the bottom of the chip. The high velocities of the air impinging on the copper heat spreader extract heat and then exit sideways, providing an effective cooling mechanism.
One of the biggest advantages of the AirJet system is that it can cool a PC’s other components by sucking air past them. This means that a single AirJet Pro could cool a 15W Steam Deck handheld gaming PC, despite offering a net heat dissipation of just 8.75W. While the AirJet Mini is not a replacement for traditional cooling systems in all scenarios, PCs with AirJet may be quieter, thinner, and offer more room for batteries.
Frore’s technology is best suited for systems that are conducive to its airflow, and the company still has to integrate control circuitry into a system’s motherboard. An AirJet does not offer as much cooling as competing solutions, with a single AirJet Mini offering about 4.25W of cooling, but Frore is working on an AirJet Pro equivalent to the fan found in a 13-inch MacBook Pro.
Gaming smartphones are the low-hanging fruit for AirJet technology, where a single AirJet Mini could make quite a difference. The technology is also prototyped in SSD enclosures, doorbell cameras, and LED light bulbs. While the Zotac PC is the first with an AirJet, Frore has other customers planning to release products later this year. With the ever-growing demand for smaller, quieter, and more efficient PCs and other electronics, Frore’s AirJet technology may just have found the perfect niche.
