YPlasma announces active cooling system for quiet, fanless laptops – Liliputing

Heat is the quiet antagonist inside every notebook. The processor, battery, solid-state drive, and other components generate heat, which is why most laptops rely on cooling fans to prevent overheating. While some ultra-lean designs can operate without fans, they often sacrifice performance compared with actively cooled systems.

In recent years, engineering teams have begun exploring alternatives that forego moving parts altogether. One company has highlighted a membrane-based approach that uses ultrasonic vibrations to move air, while another has pitched an electrostatic method to drive airflow. Now YPlasma is presenting its own fanless cooling concept, aiming to showcase it at the upcoming CES.

The core concept uses dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma actuators. Instead of spinning blades, these devices generate a high-velocity ionic flow to whisk heat away from hot zones, all with no mechanical moving parts.

Although DBD-based solutions aren’t new, YPlasma claims to have miniaturized the actuators to roughly 200 microns in thickness. This ultra-thin profile allows integration directly onto heat sinks, along chassis walls, or adjacent internal components, enabling slimmer device designs without sacrificing cooling performance.

Regarding acoustics, the system isn’t perfectly silent but operates at about 17 dBA, a level that remains largely inaudible in most environments. The design also incorporates a dielectric barrier to curb ozone production often associated with ionic-wind technologies.

Several technical details are still under wraps, including electricity consumption, the amount of heat the system can dissipate, and projected costs. A live demonstration is slated for CES, offering a first-hand look at how the technology performs inside a real laptop chassis.