Cold Plate Architecture

Each position in the XDS rack is equipped with a flexible cold plate (through which refrigerant is pumped) and an associated deflection mechanism. To insert a server the cams on each side are rotated against the outer verticals of the pressure plate so that the cold plate is lifted upwards and is slightly concave on the underside. After the server is inserted, the cams are rotated so that they press on the inner pair of verticals. This causes the plate to become concave on the underside and conform to the server lid. As 1U servers are not rigid and they are only supported on their edges, they sag in the middle. The curved plate conforms to this curve resulting in an excellent thermal contact between the server and cold plate.