The rapid expansion of AI is placing unprecedented demands on global digital infrastructure, forcing open compute and data center architectures to transition from traditional air cooling to direct-to-chip liquid cooling. 

While liquid cooling is essential to manage the intense thermal loads generated by high-density GPUs and CPUs, running liquid coolant lines directly alongside high-power server beds creates a critical vulnerability where coolant leaks, condensation, and microclimate volatility threaten catastrophic hardware failure.

To solve this physical challenge, actnano is showcasing its patented Advanced nanoGUARD™ (ANG) surface protection technology at the OCP Global Summit, demonstrating how board-level protection serves as the ultimate physical fail-safe for next-generation AI data center infrastructure.

Overcoming 50 Years of Conformal Coating Stagnation

For decades, electronics manufacturers have relied on legacy conformal coatings developed for simpler, lower-power hardware. These outdated coatings cure into thick, rigid shells that trap heat, degrade processing performance, and require manual masking to keep connectors and antennas uncoated. Manual masking leaves intentional gaps in protection, creating exposed pathways where leaked coolants or condensation can short out sensitive circuitry. Legacy coatings heavily rely on toxic PFAS.

actnano’s Advanced nanoGUARD™ (ANG) is a thin-film, gel-state coating that delivers complete 3D protection across the entire printed circuit board assembly (PCBA).

For decades, electronics manufacturers have relied on legacy conformal coatings developed for simpler, lower-power hardware. These outdated coatings cure into thick, rigid shells that trap heat, degrade processing performance, and require manual masking to keep connectors and antennas uncoated. Manual masking leaves intentional gaps in protection, creating exposed pathways where leaked coolants or condensation can short out sensitive circuitry. Legacy coatings heavily rely on toxic PFAS.

The Benefits of actnano’s Advanced nanoGUARD™

There are several advantages to ANG. It can be applied to coat the full PCBA – including connectors, antennas, and high-heat components – without the need to manually mask sections of the board. The material safely displaces only at electrical contact points when connectors are inserted, maintaining signal integrity and high-speed conductivity.

• Because ANG is applied at the microscale, it manages complex thermal pathways without trapping heat or causing thermal throttling on high-power processors.
• Validated on production hardware exceeding 200 Gbps transmission speeds, ANG delivers total board resilience without inducing trace degradation or latency spikes across high-frequency channels.
• ANG is fluorine-free, REACH and RoHS compliant, and eliminates toxic chemicals from the supply chain while helping prevent e-waste by extending hardware lifespan.
• No oven drying is required. ANG dries at ambient room temperature in 30 to 60 seconds without curing ovens, reclaiming factory floor space and slashing manufacturing energy consumption.

At the OCP Global Summit, visitors can see actnano’s technology in action through hands-on demonstration.

To learn more or contact actnano, visit actnano.com. 

FAQs: 

How can our team schedule a consultation or meeting with actnano at or after the event?

You can reach out directly via actnano’s official web contact portal at actnano.com/contact-us or connect with team members through actnano’s LinkedIn page. actnano’s global application engineering team is available to conduct technical consultations tailored to the specific thermal, electrical, and environmental requirements of your hardware.

How does actnano collaborate with hardware OEMs during sampling and testing?

actnano provides end-to-end collaborative engineering support throughout your value chain. Regional field application engineers (FAEs) deploy directly to customer manufacturing facilities worldwide to assist with sample coating, equipment programming, and qualification phases—including Design Verification (DV) and Production Verification (PV) testing.

How can we request sample coatings for our specific board designs?

Prospective partners and hardware architects can request sample processing by contacting actnano through their corporate site. actnano’s Boston application lab processes sample coatings on customer board trace layouts to provide certified documentation and validation reports.