Formnext Asia Spotlights AM for AI Liquid Cooling

Voxelmatters and 3DPrintingIndustry report that Formnext Asia Shenzhen will return to the Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center from August 26-28, 2026, with thermal management for AI infrastructure, especially liquid-cooling components produced via additive manufacturing (AM), as a featured application area. Voxelmatters reports the three-day event will span metal and polymer AM systems, materials, software, scanning and post-processing technologies and will include a new forum on AM applications in liquid cooling. 3DPrintingIndustry lists confirmed exhibitors covering the liquid-cooling production chain and highlights suppliers such as Southern Additive and examples like copper 3D printed systems from Addireen.

High-density AI processors concentrate heat in ways conventional air cooling struggles to dissipate. Voxelmatters and 3DPrintingIndustry describe liquid cooling as a solution that circulates coolant through metal cold plates mounted directly on chips; engineering difficulty centers on creating curved, branching, form-fitting internal channels that machining often cannot produce without joining multiple parts. Reporting explains that AM can produce single-piece cold plates and heat exchangers with built-in internal channels, eliminating joints and associated leak paths. Both outlets note that copper and copper-alloy components are preferred for thermal conductivity but have been historically difficult to process in metal AM; 3DPrintingIndustry reports suppliers will show laser and selective laser melting systems capable of processing pure copper and copper alloys.

Voxelmatters cites a Goldman Sachs projection that liquid-cooled AI servers will reach 76 percent market penetration in 2026, up from 15 percent in 2024. Voxelmatters also cites a JPMorgan figure reported by Reuters putting the global market for AI server liquid-cooling systems at over $17 billion this year, up from $8.9 billion last year. For practitioners: these market estimates, if realized, would increase demand for qualified AM production capacity, copper powder supply chains, and validated post-processing and joining workflows that meet data-center reliability requirements.

• •Announced partnerships or qualification programs between AM service providers and server OEMs, as reported at the exhibition.
• •Demonstrations or published data on thermal performance, leak rates and long-term reliability for printed copper cold plates.
• •Commercial availability and throughput metrics for AM platforms that claim production-capable copper processing, and indications of powder supply scale.

Companies adopting AM for thermal-management components typically prioritize process qualification, post-processing consistency and supply-chain traceability before moving from prototypes to batch production. Observers will watch whether exhibitors at Formnext Asia Shenzhen present qualification data or production-case studies that address those barriers.