With AI chips, data centres and high-power electronic devices placing ever-increasing demands on cooling performance, thermal management has become essential to system efficiency and reliability. On 1 July 2026, the Research Conference on High-Power Electronic Device Thermal Management was successfully held at the New International Conference Centre of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC). Hosted by the Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering and the Advanced Mechanical and Manufacturing Research Centre, the conference brought together scholars from leading universities to exchange insights on advanced cooling materials, liquid cooling, microstructure design and phase-change thermal management.

Associate Dean Prof. Jian Yang delivered the opening remarks. The morning session was chaired by Professor Yong Ren. Professor Guihua Tang from Xi'an Jiaotong University delivered the opening keynote, presenting an integrated design and manufacturing platform based on heterogeneous triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) and highlighting its potential in advanced thermal management. Professor Xiaohong Han from Zhejiang University then examined the growing need for data-centre liquid cooling in the era of kilowatt-level AI chips, offering a systematic analysis of emerging trends and technical challenges. Professor Deqiu Zou from Ningbo University introduced liquid metal microencapsulation and its thermal management applications, demonstrating the distinctive advantages of novel materials in extreme heat-dissipation scenarios.

The afternoon session was chaired by Professor Yong Shi. Professor Kang Liu from Wuhan University presented hydrogel-based thermal management technologies, offering new research directions for flexible electronics and wearable device cooling. A series of research presentations followed, covering microfluidic phase-change thermal management, high-heat-flux cold plate design and complex flow-channel optimisation. Professor Yong Ren discussed phase-change thermal management based on microfluidics, while Dr Shanshan Long from UNNC presented performance breakthroughs of near-kilowatt chip cold plates in the ASME/IEEE competition and shared progress in multi-objective optimisation and complex flow-channel prediction.

The conference concluded with a roundtable discussion on industry-university-research collaboration. Participants exchanged views on fundamental research, system integration, industrial implementation and future cooperation in high-power electronic cooling, further strengthening dialogue between academia and industry.

By providing a high-level platform for academic exchange, the conference showcased recent progress in advanced materials, structural design and liquid-cooling technologies, while creating new momentum for theoretical innovation and engineering translation in high-power electronic device thermal management.