AMD's SP7 platform could enable CPUs with up to 1,400W of peak power consumption — chillers tested to keep heat in check

When we first encountered AMD SP7 rumors a couple of years ago, we imagined that this platform would increase the power consumption of AMD's future CPUs to levels beyond 1,000W (1 kW), so when we learnt that Auras was developing cold plates for SP7 processors at Computex this year, we were not surprised. One thing was missing, though: the actual power consumption number for these CPUs. Apparently, Zen 6-based codenamed Venice processors with up to 256 cores could have a peak power consumption of up to 1,400W (1.4 kW), according to a presentation found by HXL. 

AMD's current range-topping EPYC 9965 with 192 Zen 5 cores has a TDP of 500W (but a peak power consumption of around 700W), but judging from an OCP APAC Summit presentation, at least one of the company's partners — Taiwan Microloops Corp. — is preparing for a rather dramatic increase in SP7 CPU peak power consumption compared to existing processors. TMC appears to be developing custom cooling hardware for SP7 CPUs: a dual-loop water cooling system capable of handling thermal loads of around 1,400W. 

One slide from Taiwan Microloops Corp. showcases a thermal solution for AMD's SP7 socket, designed to cool CPUs with power levels of up to 1,400W. It depicts a dual-loop liquid cooling system using PG25 coolant, operating at a flow rate of 1 liter per minute. The system includes a cold plate mounted on the processor, a pump, a reservoir, a plate heat exchanger, and a chiller set to 17°C. Heat is absorbed at the cold plate and transferred through a primary loop to the heat exchanger, where it is offloaded to a secondary loop connected to the chiller, ensuring sustained thermal performance at extremely high CPU power levels. 

The two charts by TMC confirm the system's efficiency and stability (i.e., it has been tested, although it is unclear whether on real Venice CPUs or heaters). One graph shows that thermal resistance remains nearly constant (~0.009°C/W) across loads ranging from 700 W to 1,400 W, demonstrating effective heat removal regardless of power level. Another chart shows a similarly stable pressure drop (~0.25 – 0.3 bar), indicating that the coolant flow remains unobstructed even under maximum load, which demonstrates that the cooling solution is viable for long-term use. Together, these results demonstrate that AMD's SP7 platform is engineered to reliably support kilowatt-class CPUs without degradation in thermal or hydraulic performance. 

One thing to note is that the 1,400W figure associated with AMD's SP7 platform and next-generation EPYC processors does not definitively indicate their TDP. Instead, it more likely reflects peak power consumption under full load or stress conditions, not the base TDP. 

One interesting thing to note about the presentation is that Taiwan Microloops Corp. is preparing standard coolant distribution units (CDUs) with refrigeration capacities ranging from 60 kW to 800 kW, which are suitable for full-rack or multi-rack liquid cooling deployments. To some degree, this means that liquid cooling has a long road ahead of it before immersion cooling becomes a viable option several years down the road.

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