According to Ventiva (PDF), ICE9 uses the firm's Ionic Cooling Engine (ICE), which allows it to cool electronic devices without any moving parts. This device is claimed to be far more efficient than the Frore AirJet solid-state active cooling released a couple of years ago, although it’s still slightly less efficient than an actual fan.

However, what makes Ventiva’s ICE9 thermal management suite better than the typical fan is its completely silent operation and ultra-compact form factor, with a device height of just 12 mm. This makes it the ideal solution for thin-and-light laptops, allowing OEMs to use relatively high-powered processors while preventing thermal throttling. So, aside from letting laptop makers build sleek devices, it could also allow them to insert additional components to extend the function of their device, like Framework’s dual M.2 module that slots in the empty space between the fan of its Framework Laptop 16 Expansion Bay.

“Our ICE technology is transforming the electronics market, enabling a new wave of silent, intelligent heat-transferring thermal management solutions, and our latest results underscore the remarkable scalability of our ICE9 solution,” said Ventiva CEO Carl Schlachte. “Initially demonstrated within the 'thin and light' category of laptops at around 15W TDP, the ICE9 device now enables laptop manufacturers to extend these benefits to higher performance systems, paving the way for the launch of entire product families of silent computing products."

The company says that it has ICE9 solutions that can accommodate as much as 25 watts TDP right now, meaning it could handle some of the new breed of low-power and highly efficient processors from AMD and Intel, as well as Qualcomm's Snapdragon X chips. However, it’s also working with OEMs to develop cooling solutions that could handle as much as 40 watts TDP, allowing it to easily handle some of the latest AI processors from Intel and AMD. Moreover, it is open to partners leveraging 'hybrid' solutions mixing ICE9 and fan(s) for ultra-quiet computing.

While Ventiva is currently focusing on laptops for the ICE9’s application, it can also be used in a variety of other devices, like smartphones and tablets, especially given its particularly small size. However, it does have one weakness — the ICE9 has such low static pressure that OEMs cannot just drop it in in their current designs if they want to maximize the technology's cooling performance. Instead, they need to think about a hybrid solution or build a case specifically designed for the product that allows them to transfer heat efficiently from all heat-generating parts of the laptop so that the ICE9 can cool it directly, instead of relying on the airflow that a typical fan would generate. If laptop makers can solve this problem, we should be prepared to see impressive steps made in silent computing performance.