Superconductor Technologies demonstrates cold computing technology that increases workstation speeds by up to 50 percent

Business Wire, Feb 14, 1996

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 14, 1996-- Superconductor Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:SCON) will demonstrate at the Uniforum 96 computer show in San Francisco today a cryogenic cooling device that increases workstation and server speeds by up to 50 percent.

The 50 percent performance improvement is achieved by cooling the central processing unit (CPU) and associated circuitry of a state-of-the-art CMOS computer to minus 55 degrees Celsius, and at colder operating temperatures has the potential of achieving two times or more the performance improvement. This demonstration represents a breakthrough in ultra-powerful high-speed computing.

According to a report on the computer workstation market by the International Data Corp. (IDC), the end-users of high-speed workstations are the segment of computer consumers with the greatest need for continually improved speeds. The report states: "The primary users of workstations continue to be engineers and scientists. As such, performance improvements will continue to drive workstation designs for the foreseeable future."

In addition, the IDC report states that "an increase of 10 percent in performance corresponds to roughly a 20-30 percent increase in price."

Daniel C. Hu, president and chief executive officer of Superconductor Technologies, believes the company's cooler products are prepared to meet the needs of a demanding industry. "The high-end computing market, such as workstations and servers, is hungry for constantly improving computer speeds. Our coolers will provide a fully integrated solution to address the improved-speed needs of the market.

"Our staff has the experience in cold-CMOS devices, computer systems integration, and knowledge of the market to bring cold computing to commercialization. In addition, the development of our cryogenics is synergistic to our high-temperature superconductor (HTS) applications."

The IDC Workstation Market Study:

The IDC report found that the number of workstations greater than $15,000 in price produced worldwide is forecasted to grow to greater than 400,000 units per year by 1998. According to the IDC study, "On average, most RISC microprocessor performance has been doubling every 12 to 18 months."

Therefore, clock speed will continue to be a driving force and the workstation market should continue to grow at a rapid pace.

For workstation manufacturers, cold computing can help solve the problem of increased heat dissipation caused by increasing computer speeds. The IDC study found that "Many of these microprocessors are increasing clock speeds into the 250-300 MHz range. Without changes to process technology or voltage, power (or heat dissipation) requirements will increase."

Current systems utilize forced air convection to provide heat dissipation. However, as systems increase to the 250-300 MHz range they can require as much as 50 watts of dissipation, which is difficult to achieve using conventional methods.

Cold Computing Background:

It is widely known that cooling CMOS integrated circuits (IC) to cryogenic temperatures increases system speed by improving basic device and circuit parameters. Some researchers believe that as high-performance speeds increase and CMOS feature sizes shrink, cooling will solve new issues that will arise with these changes.

According to Dr. Jason Woo, professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles: "In addition to the CMOS, computer chips consist of millions of transistors which are connected together by metal wiring. Cooling the chip then has a two-fold benefit. The CMOS transistors' electrons and holes move at a much more rapid pace in a colder environment.

"Also, cooling metal interconnects improves its connectivity, which is often the performance-limiting factor for large interconnects. Combined, the dual results of the cooling account for the dramatic increase in computer speeds that have been found with cold computing."

STI developed the prototype for the cold computing cryogenic cooler with funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the Department of Defense.

Dr. Frank Patten, program manager for ARPA, commented on the progress STI has made in bringing cryocooling to commercial markets. "The military has utilized cryocooling in microwave and infrared devices for decades, as well as new applications in HTS. The commercial applications of cryogenics are equally broad, and we believe STI has broken ground for reliable and compact commercial cryocoolers.

"The benefit of faster CMOS that occurs in cold computing makes this an exciting technology, and we look forward to seeing it commercialized."

Superconductor Technologies' Cooling Technology:

Although the benefits of cold computing have been an accepted fact, the key barriers to mass producing cooled computers have been the cost and reliability of the cooling technology. Superconductor Technologies has surmounted the obstacles to cold computing by developing coolers that can be commercially manufactured in volume, combined with a low-cost manufacturing design.