The explosive growth of artificial intelligence is placing unprecedented demands on global digital infrastructure. To prevent high-power CPUs and GPUs from overheating, the data center industry is rapidly transitioning from air cooling to advanced direct liquid cooling. However, this shift introduces a critical physical risk: a single coolant leak or micro-condensation event can cause catastrophic hardware failure and global data blackouts.
In a recent episode of Advancements TV, hosted by Ted Danson, actnano revealed how its revolutionary materials science is solving this exact hardware vulnerability. By delivering a modern alternative to legacy electronics protection, actnano acts as an invisible seatbelt for the chips powering our digital world.
The Search for a Liquid Cooling Compatible Conformal Coating
Protecting printed circuit boards (PCBAs) in liquid-cooled environments has historically been a massive headache for manufacturers. Legacy conformal coatings cure into rigid, thick plastic shells that trap heat and interfere with signal quality. Because they are rigid, manufacturers must perform tedious, manual masking of specific areas on the PCBA to keep coatings away from electrical contact points and antennas. This process leaves unprotected gaps where moisture and corrosive liquids can easily seep in.
actnano’s Advanced nanoGUARD™ (ANG) completely disrupts this old paradigm as a highly effective, liquid cooling compatible conformal coating. ANG is a thin-film, gel-state coating. It allows for 100% 3D coverage across the entire board, including connectors. When a cable is plugged in, the gel safely displaces only at the point of electrical contact, allowing seamless connect-through conductivity while keeping the rest of the board entirely sealed.
Unlocking Peak Performance with Thermal-Resistant Technology
High-performance AI hardware operates under extreme thermal conditions. Traditional coatings act as insulators, raising board temperatures and degrading chip performance.
Because Advanced nanoGUARD is applied at the microscale, it acts as a highly advanced, thermal-resistant conformal coating. It is thermally neutral, meaning it manages the complex thermal pathways of high-power processors without trapping heat or sacrificing compute power. Additionally, ANG is completely PFAS-free, enabling data center operators to achieve maximum hardware reliability while meeting strict environmental regulations.
Watch actnano on Advancements TV with Ted Danson
Ready to see how actnano is redefining hardware survivability for the AI era? To discover how this room-temperature, fast-drying technology is modernizing global electronics manufacturing, click here.
FAQs
What is a liquid cooling compatible conformal coating?
A liquid cooling compatible conformal coating is a protective surface barrier designed specifically to safeguard electronics from coolant leaks and condensation inside direct liquid-cooled server environments. Unlike legacy coatings, it provides a stable barrier against liquid exposure without dissolving, degrading, or interfering with the server’s liquid-cooling systems.
How does actnano protect high-power AI data center chips?
actnano protects AI chips using its Advanced nanoGUARD™ technology. This ultra-thin, gel-state coating provides 100% 3D coverage over the entire printed circuit board (PCBA)—including connectors and antennas—without requiring manual masking . It acts as a physical fail-safe, keeping chips completely insulated from coolant leaks while remaining thermally neutral so processor performance is never compromised.
Why is a thermal-resistant conformal coating necessary for servers?
AI GPUs and CPUs generate immense heat. Standard conformal coatings trap this heat, forcing processors to run hotter and less efficiently. A thermal-resistant conformal coating like actnano’s Advanced nanoGUARD™ is applied at the microscale, managing complex thermal pathways and allowing heat to dissipate freely so hardware runs cooler, longer, and more reliably.
Is actnano’s protective coating environmentally friendly?
Yes. Traditional coatings rely heavily on PFAS. actnano’s Advanced nanoGUARD™ is the industry’s PFAS-free alternative, making it fully compliant with international safety and environmental standards like REACH and RoHS.
