Chinese scientists have unveiled a cooling technology that can plunge a liquid cooling medium from room temperature to sub-zero levels in less than half a minute.This leap in thermal engineering offered a promising heat management solution for energy-hungry data centres that were mushrooming across China and the United States, they said.

By harnessing the unique behaviour of ammonium thiocyanate in water under pressure, the team created a liquid cooling system that mimics squeezing a “wet sponge” – when releasing pressure, it triggers rapid redissolution of salt, absorbing massive amounts of heat almost instantly.

In experiments, a saturated solution cooled by 30 degrees Celsius (54 Fahrenheit) within seconds at room temperature, and in hotter environments, the drop exceeded 50 degrees.

The cooling process could have applications in energy-hungry data centres. Photo: HandoutThis ultra-fast, high-capacity cooling cycle could transform how artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure manages heat.