Surge of 260%! In the AI liquid-cooling era, what's truly scarce isn't chips—it's high-grade copper.
The AI computing power industry is now competing at the level of foundational materials. As domestic fully liquid-cooled AI data centers scale up, high-power GPU servers are driving explosive demand for high-performance copper. Traditional copper grades can no longer meet the stringent requirements of liquid-cooling scenarios—specifically ultra-high thermal conductivity and long-term stability. Graphene-copper composite materials (super copper) have emerged as the next-generation solution for high-strength, high-conductivity applications. Compared to pure copper, super copper offers superior electrical and thermal conductivity, higher mechanical strength, and enhanced high-temperature oxidation resistance, making it ideal for AI liquid-cooling systems, high-speed PCBs, and other compute hardware. Nanhang New Materials is investing in cutting-edge research on super copper, focusing on high-strength, high-conductivity copper composites. The company is developing advanced material solutions for AI liquid-cooled computing, high-voltage motors in new energy vehicles, solid-state batteries, and more, leveraging innovation in premium copper-based materials to accelerate the growth of the compute industry.
2026 The toughest industry trend is quietly shifting from chips to foundational materials. Recently,Beijing's first full liquid-cooled AI computing shared factory officially launchesThe first liquid-cooled server was successfully rolled out, marking the official entry of domestic AI computing infrastructure into the era of full-scale liquid cooling deployment. Following this, industry data cited by CCTV Finance based on market estimates sparked widespread discussion across the sector:Demand for high-end copper foil dedicated to AI servers in 2026 surged by 260% year-over-year; a single high-power GPU training server requires 15-30 kg of copper, 4-6 times that of a standard server.Orders for liquid cooling components are booked through year-end, and the shortage of high-performance, high-conductivity copper materials continues to widen.
Many are frantically chasing AI chips and GPU compute power, yet overlooking a critical underappreciated truth: whether a chip can deliver its full rated performance often hinges not on the chip itself, but on thermal management.
As AI large models continue to evolve and server power consumption soars into the kilowatt range, traditional air cooling has reached its physical limits. Liquid cooling is now a critical requirement for high-end intelligent computing clusters.The core heat transfer medium in liquid cooling systems is high-end, high-performance copper-based materials.
Why AI liquid cooling has fully ignited demand for high-end copper
Traditional copper alloys are nearing their performance limits and cannot meet the stringent demands of AI computing.
Standard servers generate low heat and handle light workloads, making conventional copper sufficient. However, today's high-end AI computing scenarios present a completely different challenge:
✅ High-power continuous output; device runs at high temperature and heavy load for extended periods.
 Liquid cooling chambers, heat sink substrates, high-speed busbars, and high-frequency PCBs rely heavily on high-performance copper for superior thermal and electrical conductivity.
✅ Devices require year-round stable operation, demanding extreme performance in copper's conductivity, thermal conductivity, structural strength, and oxidation resistance.
Simply put:Standard copper conducts electricity, but can't withstand AI's heat. It dissipates heat, yet fails under the limits of computing power.
As AI computing power approaches its limits, the industry is accelerating efforts to explore graphene-copper composite materials.Super Copper: The next-generation high-performance upgrade path.
Super copper delivers a dual breakthrough compared to pure copper:
📈 Dual Enhancement in Conductivity and Thermal Performance: Outperforms Pure Silver, Ideal for High-Frequency/High-Speed Computing Data Transmission and Rapid Heat Dissipation
📈 Significantly Enhanced Strength: Increased tensile strength, heat and deformation resistance, designed for long-term continuous operation in liquid-cooled equipment.
📈 Enhanced Stability: Low oxidation and high-density structure significantly reduce resistance increase and performance degradation in high-temperature environments.
In the new frontier of AI liquid-cooled computing, super copper is poised to become a key high-performance upgrade material for next-generation computing hardware.
Super Copper Industry Accelerates; Domestic Substitution Enters Golden Window
Under the AI computing boom, the commercial potential of super copper is accelerating. With domestic liquid-cooled data centers coming online, and comprehensive upgrades in new energy, solid-state batteries, and high-end electronics, China's push to replace imports in cutting-edge copper-based composite materials has officially begun.
Nanhang New Materials specializes in the copper-based materials sector, focusing on cutting-edge super-copper technologies. We are advancing R&D for next-generation high-strength, high-conductivity composite materials to tackle technical challenges and deliver high-performance super-copper solutions for AI liquid cooling, new energy high-voltage motors, solid-state batteries, and other frontier applications.
The next phase of the compute arms race is a materials race.
Pioneering advanced super-copper materials with domestic high-end copper-based innovations to empower the high-quality development of AI liquid-cooled computing infrastructure!