Applying the cooling technology of the Three Gorges Project to intelligent computing centers, "Zhongke Qiancheng" completes an angel round of financing worth tens of millions of yuan | Exclusive report by 36Kr

Text | Zhang Bingbing

Editor | A Zhi

36Kr learned that Zhongke Qiancheng (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Zhongke Qiancheng") recently announced the completion of tens of millions of yuan in angel - round financing. The investor is Zhongke Chuangxing. The funds will be mainly used for product improvement and technological R & D.

Founded in March 2024, "Zhongke Qiancheng" focuses on the phase - change liquid cooling technology, which is transformed from the scientific and technological achievements of the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It focuses on the fields of data centers and power grid transmission and distribution, providing phase - change liquid cooling products and solutions for electronic information equipment and electrical equipment. Currently, it has cooperated with power companies such as the State Grid and is working with leading enterprises in the industry to promote the application of its products in the field of AI intelligent computing centers.

Academician Gu Guobiao is the pioneer of room - temperature phase - change cooling technology. He has long been engaged in the research and industrialization of the room - temperature self - circulation system for large - scale motor evaporation cooling. His team has presided over and participated in many national key R & D projects. Rao Yaqing, the founder of "Zhongke Qiancheng", has held management positions in large enterprises such as Citect and General Electric, with experience in market expansion and industrial implementation.

I. From the Three Gorges Project to AI Intelligent Computing Centers: A Safer and More Efficient Cooling Solution

When devices such as transformers and electronic equipment are in operation, they generate a large amount of heat. If the heat cannot be effectively dissipated, the high temperature will affect the performance, reliability, and lifespan of the equipment. Common heat - dissipation solutions include liquid cooling and air cooling. These technologies use the flow of liquid or air to carry away heat.

"Zhongke Qiancheng" uses phase - change liquid cooling technology, which utilizes the "phase - change" process of a liquid absorbing heat and turning into a gas. Liquids with low boiling points, such as fluorinated liquids, are used as cooling agents (i.e., coolants). The coolant is precisely delivered to the surface of the heating element. When heated, the coolant quickly reaches its boiling point and turns into a gas, absorbing a large amount of heat and reducing the temperature of the load.

"Latent heat of vaporization" is an important indicator for measuring the heat - dissipation capacity of phase - change liquid cooling agents. The latent heat of vaporization of professional cooling agents is usually between 100 - 200 kJ/kg. For example, if a chip has a power consumption of 300W, the heat generated in one hour is 1080 kJ. Using a coolant with a latent heat of vaporization of 150 kJ/kg, theoretically, only 7.2 kg of the liquid needs to evaporate per hour to carry away all the heat. Under the same power consumption, the water - cooling solution requires water with a 10 - degree temperature difference, and 25.8 kg of water needs to circulate per hour.

In addition to the heat - dissipation effect, another major breakthrough of the phase - change liquid cooling technology is the self - circulation of the cooling system, which is achieved by utilizing the phase - change characteristics. After the cooling agent absorbs heat and vaporizes, it automatically overflows upwards. When it meets the condenser at the top, it cools down and turns back into a liquid, then automatically flows back to the vicinity of the heating element. Professor Xiong Bin from the Chinese Academy of Sciences summarized: "The entire system can achieve automatic circulation without a pump. The system becomes simpler. The simpler the system, the higher the reliability. This is our most fundamental principle advantage."

Moreover, the cooling agent of the phase - change liquid cooling technology has high insulation properties. Even if it leaks and comes into direct contact with equipment such as circuit boards, it will not cause problems such as short - circuits. It will not cause secondary damage to the devices, providing better protection for operation and maintenance.

Pump - free self - circulation cold - plate phase - change liquid cooling cabinet of "Zhongke Qiancheng"

Professor Xiong introduced that the phase - change liquid cooling technology was originally proposed by Academician Gu in 1958 to solve the cooling problem of generators in the Three Gorges Project. After the verification of the principle, small - scale unit verification, and gradual application in hundred - megawatt units by the older generation of scientists, the phase - change liquid cooling technology was finally applied to Units 27 and 28 of the Three Gorges Project in 2011 and won the Special Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award.

"While achieving efficient heat dissipation, the phase - change liquid cooling technology also needs to have better operation and maintenance characteristics to ensure the safety of the equipment. Only then can it reach the highest level of cooling solutions." Professor Xiong concluded.

II. Targeting the Power Grid and Intelligent Computing Centers to Explore the Trillion - Level Market

Thanks to its technological advantages, the application of the phase - change liquid cooling technology has been further extended from hydro - generators to fields such as the power grid and intelligent computing centers. In 2007, the first - generation evaporation - cooled distribution transformer developed by the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences was put into operation in Langfang, Hebei, and won the "Science and Technology Progress Award of Jibei Power Grid". The cold - plate pump - free self - circulation phase - change liquid cooling system applied to high - density servers was put into operation in November 2019 in the Large High - Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO) project. The measured Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of the server cabinet was 1.03.

"The data center of the LHAASO observation base is currently the most difficult computing center in China. The air is very thin, and most importantly, it is unattended because of the high altitude. Almost no one goes up there. Therefore, only our self - circulation technology solution can demonstrate its unparalleled advantages." Rao Yaqing, the founder of "Zhongke Qiancheng", said. "Both the transformer and computing power markets are trillion - level markets. They are mature and can play a demonstration role. These are the key areas we will expand in the future."

Unattended computing center at an altitude of 4410m

In the transformer field, "Zhongke Qiancheng" cooperates with large transformer manufacturers such as the State Grid through technology open - source. It provides core components such as cooling agents and heat exchangers. By optimizing the transformer structure and reducing the amount of cooling agent used, it improves the cost - performance of the products and jointly develops products with market competitiveness. Currently, the products of "Zhongke Qiancheng" have obtained the material number from the State Grid. In November, the third - generation new evaporation - cooled transformer was launched. Next year, it aims to start small - scale application in some provinces and actively participate in project bidding across the country.

In the computing power field, "Zhongke Qiancheng" has signed a strategic cooperation agreement with a leading enterprise to develop ultra - high - power equipment, solve the current product bottleneck problems, and promote the application of the phase - change liquid cooling technology in the computing power market. It is expected to complete the construction of two demonstration cabinets, including one in a data center in Zhejiang, by the end of January next year.

In terms of future planning, backed by the Institute of Electrical Engineering of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, "Zhongke Qiancheng" will consolidate its technological advantages in both "depth" and "breadth". "Depth" means further enhancing R & D capabilities by applying for new patents based on the core technology. For example, in the computing power field, it will increase the cabinet power from hundreds of kilowatts to megawatts. "Breadth" means expanding the scope of technology application, extending the patented technology to fields such as energy storage and ships.

In terms of the market, "Zhongke Qiancheng" will further expand its state - owned and central - enterprise customers. It is expected to achieve tens of millions of yuan in revenue next year and reach a sales scale of one billion yuan in three years. Supported by its technological system and market volume, it will expand its factory.

Investor's Viewpoint:

Zhongke Chuangxing: Currently, AI is accelerating its popularization, and the world has entered an era of rapid expansion of computing power. With the large - scale commercialization of high - power - consumption chips, the power consumption of a single GPU has exceeded 1kW, and the upper limit of the cabinet power will exceed 1MW. This means that heat dissipation and energy efficiency will become one of the key factors determining the development of AI. The new phase - change liquid cooling technology of Zhongke Qiancheng has high heat - dissipation capacity, low operating costs, and high operating reliability, effectively meeting the core requirements of intelligent computing centers for cooling systems. We look forward to Zhongke Qiancheng using thermal management technology to contribute to further breakthroughs in AI.

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This article is from the WeChat official account "36Kr Future Industries". The authors are Zhang Bingbing and A Zhi. It is published by 36Kr with authorization.