A cold plate, sometimes referred to as a water block, is a metal block (typically aluminum or copper) that possesses internal tubing to allow liquids to flow through it. The plate’s functionality is to provide localized cooling of power electronics. It does so by transferring heat from a device to a liquid (such as water or antifreeze) that flows to a remote heat exchange, and then dissipates into the ambient or to another liquid in a secondary cooling system. In layman’s terms, when a cold plate is placed on an electronic component that requires cooling, it absorbs and dissipates the heat from the component to the liquid that is then cycled through the system.

Compared to air cooling, liquid cold plates enable major reductions in the volume and weight of power electronics. Use of a cold plate is “the next step” when air-cooling falls short, often because thermal performance can no longer be economically met within the desired footprint.