Thermal design supporting Gen 12 hardware: cool, efficient and reliable

The document outlines Cloudflare’s thermal engineering approach for its Gen 12 server hardware, highlighting a shift to a 2U form factor, larger and more efficient fans, an optimized EVAC heatsink, strategic component placement, and fan control algorithms to minimize power use while maintaining reliability across diverse ambient conditions. It details support for up to two single-wide GPUs via a PCIe riser, addresses rack-level airflow considerations in hot/cold aisle data centers, and emphasizes design choices that reduce cooling power consumption and improve overall system performance and resilience.