■ Heat Is Energy's Escape Route
To start with the conclusion, heat is generated when energy is converted.
For example,
● Using electricity
● Running a motor
● Computing with a semiconductor
● Charging and discharging a battery
In all of these, energy conversion is taking place.
And in the process, some of the energy turns into heat.
■ In Fact, 100% Efficiency Almost Never Exists
What matters here is the point that perfect efficiency almost never exists in the real world.
Take a motor, for example.
Ideally, you would want to convert electricity → rotation at 100%.
In reality, however, due to
● Friction
● Resistance
● Vibration
● Magnetic losses
some of it becomes heat.
In other words, heat can also be described as conversion loss.
■ Semiconductors Are Also Heat Generators
AI semiconductors are the same.
GPUs perform enormous amounts of computation.
In doing so, however, current flows.
Then, because electrical resistance exists, heat is generated.
In other words, an AI chip is a computing device and, at the same time,
a gigantic heat-generating device.
■ Why Does Heat Increase in the AI Era?
What matters here is that, in the AI era, the amount of computation itself is increasing explosively.
In other words, the structure is:
● More computation
↓
● More current flows
↓
● More heat is generated
In other words, the evolution of AI also means an increase in heat generation.
■ EVs Run While Turning Electricity into Heat
The same thing happens in EVs.
Electricity is drawn from the battery to
● Run the motor
● Accelerate
● Charge
In the process, heat is generated due to
● Resistance
● Friction
● Chemical reactions
In other words, an EV is a moving vehicle and, at the same time,
a gigantic heat-generating body.
■ Miniaturization Makes Heat Harder to Handle
Here is why future industries struggle.
It is because they want to make things smaller.
For example,
● Semiconductors
● Robots
● AR glasses
● Smartphones
are all aiming for compact, high-performance designs.
However, the amount of heat generated increases, yet the area for releasing heat decreases.
In other words, heat density rises sharply.
This is the essential difficulty of future industries.
■ Heat Is Also Evidence That Things Are Working
What is interesting is that you can also say producing heat = doing work.
For example, the fact that
● A CPU is hot
● A motor is hot
● An EV is hot
is also evidence that large amounts of energy are moving.
In other words, in future industries, higher performance and
higher heat generation tend to come as a set.
■ Why Is It Hot Even When It Seems Idle?
A common question arises here.
Take smartphones, for example.
Even when they seem to be doing nothing, they can become hot.
This is because, internally,
● Communication
● Computation
● Charging
● Background processing
are running.
In other words, heat is generated even by invisible energy consumption.
■ Not Producing Heat Is Extremely Difficult
In future technologies, it is often said that low power consumption is important.
In reality, however, reducing heat to zero is extremely difficult.
In other words, in reality, what matters more than how much heat can be reduced
is how well heat can be controlled.
■ The AI Era Will Become a Giant Heat Civilization
As we have seen so far,
● AI
● EVs
● Robots
● Semiconductors
● Data centers
all handle enormous amounts of energy.
In other words, the future will be a highly intelligent society and, at the same time,
it will also become a giant heat civilization.
■ The Researcher's Perspective: Heat Generation Itself Is Hard to Avoid
Current research includes
● Low-loss materials
● High-efficiency semiconductors
● High-efficiency motors
● Next-generation batteries
● Low-power AI
However, completely reducing heat to zero is extremely difficult.
In other words, from now on, designing on the premise of heat generation will become important.
■ The Shop-Floor Perspective: It Is Not Determined by the Amount of Heat Generated Alone
On the shop floor, the thermal state changes greatly due to
● Contact conditions
● Heat dissipation paths
● Air layers
● Tiny misalignment
● Material deformation
In other words, what matters is not only how much heat is generated,
but how much heat can be released.
■ Heat Problems Change with the Process
For example, thermal performance also changes with
● Lamination accuracy
● Pressure
● Contact area
● Steps
● Material thickness
In other words, heat problems are determined not only by material performance,
but also by making the process work.
■ What Matters from OTIS's Perspective
From OTIS’s perspective, what matters in heat problems includes
● Microfabrication
● Contact stability
● High-precision lamination
● Thin-film processing
● Contact between dissimilar materials
● Volume production stability
In other words, OTIS is committed to making a state in which heat can flow work in volume production.
■ What OTIS Can Do
At OTIS, through
● High-precision die-cutting
● Microfabrication
● High-precision lamination
● Processing of thermal management materials
● Stacking of irregular shapes
● Support for automated supply
we may be able to contribute to making heat flow work in volume production.
■ Outside OTIS's Expertise
On the other hand, OTIS is not a company that specializes in
● Semiconductor circuit design
● Motor development
● AI algorithm development
● Power generation system design
However, in the area of making heat solutions work in volume production processes, we may be able to play an important role.
■ Summary
Future industries cannot escape “heat generation”
Heat is generated as the result of energy conversion.
In other words, in future industries, the more
● Higher performance
● Higher output
● AI adoption
● Miniaturization
advance, the harder it becomes to avoid heat generation problems.
That is why, from now on, what will matter more and more is not only how much heat can be reduced,
but how well heat can be made to work.
Column Supervisor: Koji Kakumoto (President, OTIS Co., Ltd.)
After studying abroad and working in planning and development at a trading company, he joined OTIS Co., Ltd. in 2011. While primarily working in the Corporate Planning Department, he has also served concurrently in manufacturing and technical divisions, and since 2018 has served as President, working to drive business growth and strengthen the organization.
This article is a general technical explanation intended for educational purposes and does not refer to any specific company, product, or technology.
