AMD also patents 3D stacked memory cooling solution

TechPowerUp also spotted a new AMD patent that describes a technique for the cooling of 3D stacked memory via the use of a Peltier. Basically, depending on the flow of the voltage, one side of the cooler gets hot while the other side gets cool. The goal here is to use the thermo-electric cooler to cool whichever side (the logic or memory stack) is hotter.

AMD has filed a patent for cooling a 3D stacked memory with thermo-electric coolers - TECs, also known as Peltier devices. Being that TECs are made out of P-type and N-type semiconductors, they can easily be integrated into existing silicon manufacturing methods and controlled like a regular device. The process AMD has patented basically describes how to insert the TEC between memory and logic devices, where it draws heat from either logic or memory with each side being able to dissipate the heat. That effect is possible due to nature of TEC, where the direction of heat flow is changed inverting the voltage.

Whether this will be useful in real-world applications is a question. Rather than cooling the entire device, the best-case scenario here is a situation where the heat gets dissipated more evenly. Furthermore, the Peltier devices consumes electricity, it's not extremely efficient so it will generate extra heat. Another question that pops in my head is how this would affect the lifespan of these chips as rapid heat fluctuations aren't very beneficial to electronics.