Cooling Specialists Expanding Capacity For 5G Handset Applications

Taiwan-based thermal solutions providers are keenly proceeding with capacity expansions for heat pipes and vapor chambers seeking to meet robust demand for 5G handset applications though the coronavirus outbreak may temporarily weaken sales of the new-generation phones, according to industry sources.

Chaun-Choung Technology is reportedly to expand its production capacity for both kinds of heat dissipation modules at its China plants in Kunshan and Chongqing in the first half of 2020 to better tap 5G-driven business opportunities. Its peers Auras Technology and TaiSol Electronics are also moving to carry out similar capacity expansion plants, the sources said.

Except for Apple, which may continue adopting graphite sheets for 5G iPhones’ cooling, other major handset vendors are expected to incorporate either heat pipes or vapor chambers into their sub-6GHz or mmWave 5G models.

Vapor chambers are 3-4 times better than heat pipes in terms of heat dissipation capability and are more expensive, and therefore may be adopted by vendors in their high-end and flagship 5G smartphones while heat pipes may be mostly applied to lower-end 5G models, the sources said.

Global shipments of 5G handsets may fall under 200 million units in 2020 from 250 million estimated originally, the sources continued, but current capacities available at makers for both heat pipes and vapor chambers are still short of demand, and yield rates may also affect actual output.

Accordingly, it remains premature to worry that current expansion capacity plans may lead to oversupply and price-cutting competition among makers of cooling modules for 5G handsets, the sources commented.

―Digitimes