As AI continues to push data centers to their limits, one 3D printing company is rethinking how we keep all that computing power from overheating. Boston-based Alloy Enterprises has unveiled a new line of copper direct liquid cooling (DLC) components designed to help data centers slash energy use, cut costs, and eliminate the need for traditional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. At the heart of it all is their proprietary Stack Forging process, a method born from additive manufacturing (AM).
The announcement marks a major expansion for Alloy Enterprises, which had already developed aluminum-based cooling hardware using its proprietary Stack Forging process. By adding copper to its offerings, the company is introducing a new class of high-performance, ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers)-compliant components. These meet the extreme thermal demands of next-generation AI workloads and dense server racks, which will broaden the company’s reach across high-density AI and high-performance computing (HPC) environments.
Alloy’s Stack Forging process builds fully dense metal components with internal microfluidic features. Image courtesy of Alloy Enterprises.
3D Printing Meets Liquid Cooling
What makes Alloy Enterprises’ solution unique is how it’s made. The company’s patented Stack Forging process combines the design freedom of 3D printing with the strength and precision of traditional manufacturing. This technique allows for the production of single-piece copper cooling plates that feature ultra-fine internal microchannels without relying on welds, brazing, or seals that often leak under high pressure.
The company states that the result is a new class of direct liquid cooling parts that deliver targeted cooling for high-heat areas, with up to 10 times lower pressure drop compared to standard parts. This also reduces the need for large pumps and chillers, and enables lower operating temperatures using warmer water (around 44 °C).
These innovations allow data centers to operate more efficiently and sustainably, while making room for even denser racks, according to Alloy Enterprises. With AI pushing power densities beyond 120 kW per rack (compared to traditional racks averaging 5 to 10 kW), that cooling capacity is critical.
Industrial CT reveals Alloy’s internal design in sharp detail—from 180-micron microcapillaries that direct coolant flow, to a gyroidal TPMS structure that maximizes surface area and strength. Image courtesy of Alloy Enterprises.
Meeting the Energy Demands of the AI Era
The timing couldn’t be better. As AI workloads grow, data centers are consuming more power than ever. In fact, McKinsey estimates that global demand could triple by 2030, with U.S. data centers accounting for up to 12% of the nation’s electricity use.
Alloy’s copper DLC components aim to tackle this head-on. By removing the need for energy-hungry HVAC systems, their cold plates can help data centers reduce total energy use by up to 23%. For companies running thousands of AI servers, that can mean massive savings and a smaller environmental footprint.
Ali Forsyth, CEO and co-founder of Alloy Enterprises, stated that the goal is to make liquid cooling “mission-critical” as workloads become more complex.
“We now deliver industry-leading thermal performance in both aluminum and copper, enabling higher rack densities, significant cost savings and greater sustainability,” said Forsyth.
Cold plate built to cool the Nvidia H100 Tensor Core GPU. Image courtesy of Aly Forsyth via LinkedIn.
Founded in Boston, Alloy Enterprises is a rising force in the 3D printing and advanced manufacturing world. The company specializes in making high-performance, leak-tight parts that can withstand extreme heat and pressure. Its Stack Forging process, which uses metal sheet lamination to create intricate internal geometries, is seen as a breakthrough for producing parts that traditional manufacturing can’t.
Alloy Enterprises serves clients across sectors including data centers, defense, semiconductors, and industrial lasers. With its focus on sustainability, the company also recycles 100% of its copper and aluminum scrap, adding another layer of environmental responsibility to its mission.
Aluminum cold plate. Image courtesy of Alloy Enterprises.
Alloy is already shipping its new copper DLC cold plates to customers, and early deployments are meeting key thermal benchmarks. The company has also released a whitepaper titled “The Future of Liquid Cooling: Novel Microchannel Architecture for Lower Pressure Drop and Higher Thermal Performance,” detailing its novel microchannel design for engineers and data center operators looking to upgrade their cooling infrastructure.
As AI keeps growing and data centers face rising energy demands, Alloy Enterprises is proving that 3D printing can offer real, practical solutions, starting with a better way to stay cool.
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