00:01Data centers are loud.
00:04They're also hot.
00:06As AI chips get more powerful, getting rid of that heat becomes a big business of its own.
00:11In fact, some market analysts project the global data center cooling market will surpass 30 billion US dollars in 2026
00:18alone.
00:19Taiwan is at the center of that business.
00:21One of the companies riding the boom is Asia Vital Components, or AVC.
00:26Taiwan Plus met the company at its R&D center in New Taipei, where they told us just how hot
00:32AI chips can get.
00:33Our most cutting-edge AI chips generate up to nearly 2,000 watts of heat.
00:40If we take the power of a normal small kettle, that sits around 300 to 400 watts of heat.
00:47So you could boil five kettles worth of water with one chip?
00:51Yeah, that's the idea of it, yes.
00:54That kind of heat is why companies like NVIDIA turn to AVC, which Shun says co-designed and is a
01:00main supplier of NVIDIA's liquid cooling solutions in their newest AI chips, like the Blackwell series.
01:06If you look inside NVIDIA's newest AI chip, the Blackwell's, you'll see these.
01:11Now, these copper cold plates sit directly on top of the chips themselves.
01:16Liquid runs through the copper, through these hoses, and draws heat away from the chips much more than just air
01:22alone would.
01:23In large data centers, that hot liquid coolant is sent to a heat exchanger.
01:27From there, the heat is carried to a unit on the roof, where it's released into the outside air.
01:32The coolant is then recirculated back through the system.
01:36Designing systems like that takes time, and every new generation of chips needs a custom cooling solution.
01:42AVC starts working with our customers on new projects about one to two years in advance.
01:48That really is what we need to give us enough time to develop the perfect solution for each of our
01:53customers.
01:54So right now, we're already in discussion of what the 2027 NVIDIA solution might look like.
02:00In designing products at their R&D center, the company tests new coolant arrangements, uses CT scanners to find production
02:08defects, and also tests its computer fans, which still make up a large part of their business.
02:14This soundproof room may look like I'm here to record my next hit single, but this recording studio is actually
02:20used to test noise levels for cooling fans like these.
02:23Both air and liquid cooling have seen big growth.
02:26ABC reported 4.3 billion U.S. dollars in revenue in 2025, a year-on-year growth of nearly 95
02:34percent.
02:35And the AI boom is clearly reflected in the company's stock price in Taiwan, which has jumped more than 1
02:40,600 percent since 2023.
02:44AVC does most of its manufacturing in China and Vietnam, where it's expanding its operations at a 40-hectare, $600
02:51million facility to meet the growing demand for AI data centers.
02:55And AVC isn't the only one expanding.
02:58Other Taiwanese companies like Delta, Cooler Master, and others are also getting in on Taiwan's AI boom.
03:05Most of your other competitors are also Taiwanese companies.
03:09Why do you think Taiwan has been able to be so successful in this particular space?
03:13If we look at global tech supply chain, Taiwan has the most mature, the most readily available supply chain.
03:20And therefore, it makes a lot of sense that the thermal players that are strongest are also the most deeply
03:25integrated in the supply chain.
03:27Industry experts agree.
03:29So, we can throw away from all the world.
03:32We can say that only Taiwan has a complete equipment supply chain, even in Japan, even in Korea.
03:40Cooling isn't the only niche field where Taiwanese firms are excelling.
03:44The country quietly dominates layer after layer of the AI supply chain.
03:49Many of these companies are worth millions or billions of dollars, but are virtually unknown outside the industry.
03:55One researcher who tracks the industry calls them Taiwan's hidden champions.
03:59From the computer, to the computer, to the computer, and to the PCB.
04:04And then there's a system.
04:06And then there's a system.
04:07And the heat, and the light, and the light.
04:08These are basically all the products that are going to be used in the future of AI.
04:14And in Taiwan, there are also some of these sports champions.
04:21But maintaining a lead isn't easy in such a competitive country.
04:25What's the next big thing in cooling from ABC's point of view?
04:28You know, what does the future look like in the next few years?
04:31Two-phase liquid cooling is what we're also very excited about.
04:35Which is the idea of you have a working fluid that has a very low boiling point.
04:43It'll boil on the chip, then come out as gas.
04:46And because the process of boiling absorbs what requires more heat, it becomes a more effective solution.
04:53And that's something that we're currently working on right now.
04:56AI technology keeps evolving, and so do the companies behind it.
05:00But as demand and profits keep growing, Taiwan's hidden giants are becoming harder and harder to ignore.
05:07Ryan Wu, Patrick Chun, Ai-Chi, and Chris Gorin for Taiwan Plus.
05:13What went the камAction to be a great solution though?
05:13If someone is being chosen, you could always find the casetoo of giving of what you need on.
05:14The field leader, you can't put your hands, you can't put it, like me, too.
05:14If you were in a positive way or not, you can't put it, like me, wouldn't really seem better to
05:14start.
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