Asetek

Last updated
Asetek A/S
Type Public
OSE: ASETEK
OSEBX [1]
ISIN DK0060477263 [1]
Industry Computer hardware
Genre Computer liquid cooling
Founded1997;26 years ago (1997) [2]
FounderAndré Sloth Eriksen [3]
Headquarters Aalborg, Denmark
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • André Sloth Eriksen (CEO) Peter Dam Madsen (CFO) John Hamill (COO) [4]
RevenueIncrease2.svg 58.194 million (2017) [5] [6]
Decrease2.svg 2.757 million (2017) [5] [6]
Decrease2.svg 4.475 million (2017) [5]
Total assets Increase2.svg 49.176 million (2017) [5]
Total equity Increase2.svg 33.394 million (2017) [5]
Owners
Number of employees
93 (2017) [5]
Website www.asetek.com

Asetek A/S is a Danish company (with operations in the United States, Denmark, Taiwan, and China) that designs, develops and markets liquid cooling solutions for computer systems. The company has two segments - the desktop segment and the data center segment. Asetek was founded in 1997 [2] and is based in Aalborg, Denmark. [8] The company is known for supplying desktop water coolers for companies like Corsair and NZXT. [9] It has been credited for "taking liquid cooling mainstream". [10] [11]

Contents

History

Asetek was founded by André Eriksen in 1997. A year into its existence, Asetek's network of VapoChill re-sellers grew to over 35. In 2000, Asetek received an award from the Danish Ministry of Trade and Industry for being Denmark's most innovative company that year. The company was officially incorporated in the same year. In 2001 Asetek released the first 2 GHz personal computer and started a business partnership with Asus. In 2002, the new generation of VapoChill was released. In 2003, Asetek released the WaterChill brand of liquid coolers. In 2005, they released the first 12-volt pump system. [2]

Gen 1/2

In 2007, Asetek announced its first OEM design to be used by HPs Blackbird Gaming PC. [2] In 2008 Acer used Asetek to cool its new Predator Gaming PCs. In 2009, Dell made liquid cooling a standard feature on its Alienware computers. [2]

Gen 3

The gen 3 pump was released in 2010. It offered a reduced size when compared to their gen 2 but without compromising performance. The reduced height aimed to facilitate the cooling of GPUs such as the GTX 580 from PNY Technologies. These pumps are used by Corsair, PNY and Antec. They can be identified by the exposed motor portion on the cap. [12]

Gen 4

The gen 4 pump platform was released in 2012. It brought advances in the liquid flow and thermal performance compared to gen 3. The exposed section of the motor was removed from the top of the pump. It was the most-used platform in the company's history, being used by Corsair, NZXT, Thermaltake, Dell, HP, Intel and other companies. [12]

Gen 5

The gen 5 pump was released in 2015. It offered reduced noise and increased thermal performance. It achieved this through material and chamber optimizations. Gen 5 also brought a more efficient motor. The side inlets/outlets of the previous generations were replaced with a vertical inlet and outlet. [12]

Gen 6

The Corsair H115i liquid cooler uses the Asetek 6 gen pump H115i liquid cooler.jpg
The Corsair H115i liquid cooler uses the Asetek 6 gen pump

First revealed at Computex by Corsair in 2017 and released in 2018 by Corsair with the release of the H150i and the H115i. [13] [14] As of yet Asus, [15] Corsair and Gigabyte [16] have released gen 6 Asetek pumps. Gen 6 pumps go back to the side-mounted inlet and outlet like gen 4 pumps. They also have a smaller cold-plate, the first change to the cold-plate in years. [14]

Products

Asetek manufactures and designs many OEM liquid cooling pumps for computers, both for data centers and desktop computers. The water coolers are used to cool central processing units (CPUs) and graphics processing units (GPUs).

Patents and lawsuits

The company is well known for its patents and for its practice of pursuing ongoing litigation. It holds patents to many OEM liquid cooling systems and many liquid cooling pumps. The company also holds the patent for having the pump within the water block (the part that goes over the CPU or GPU). Many companies have also released models of liquid cooling AIO (all-in-ones) with this design. As such, Asetek has taken many companies to court on such charges. [17] Asetek has successfully sued Cooler Master, Corsair and CoolIT Systems over these charges. [17] [18] [10] [19]

Patent losses

On October 12, 2020 the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTAB) issued a Final Written Decision rejecting Asetek’s challenge all 21 claims of the CoolIT Systems ‘200 patent were invalid in light of certain combinations of prior art. [20] As a result, all 21 claims of the CoolIT Systems ‘200 patent survived without amendment. [21] [22] [23]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Water cooling is a method of heat removal from components and industrial equipment. Evaporative cooling using water is often more efficient than air cooling. Water is inexpensive and non-toxic; however, it can contain impurities and cause corrosion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evaporative cooler</span> Device that cools air through the evaporation of water

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer cooling</span> The process of removing waste heat from a computer

Computer cooling is required to remove the waste heat produced by computer components, to keep components within permissible operating temperature limits. Components that are susceptible to temporary malfunction or permanent failure if overheated include integrated circuits such as central processing units (CPUs), chipsets, graphics cards, and hard disk drives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cooler</span> Insulated box used to keep food or drink cool

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lian Li</span> Taiwanese computer case and accessories manufacturer

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BFG Technologies was a privately held U.S.-based supplier of power supplies and video cards based on Nvidia graphics technology and a manufacturer of high-end gaming/home theater computer systems. BFG Technologies branded products were available in North America and Europe at retailers and e-tailers. The company's main headquarters were located in Lake County, Illinois, near Lake Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corsair Gaming</span> American computer peripherals and hardware company

Corsair Gaming, Inc. is an American computer peripherals and hardware company based in Milpitas, California. Previously Corsair Components and Corsair Memory, it was incorporated in California in January 1994 as Corsair Microsystems and reincorporated in Delaware in 2007. It designs and sells a range of computer products, including high-speed DRAM modules, ATX power supplies (PSUs), USB flash drives (UFDs), CPU/GPU and case cooling, gaming peripherals, computer cases, solid-state drives (SSDs), and speakers.

A gaming computer, also known as a gaming PC, is a specialized personal computer designed for playing video games at high standards. Gaming PCs typically differ from mainstream personal computers by using high-performance graphics cards, a high core-count CPU with raw performance and higher-performance RAM. Gaming PCs are also used for other demanding tasks such as video editing. Gamers and computer enthusiasts may choose to overclock their CPUs and GPUs in order to gain extra performance. The added power draw needed to overclock either processing unit often requires additional cooling, usually by air cooling or water cooling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer fan</span> Miniature fan used in a computer for active cooling

A computer fan is any fan inside, or attached to, a computer case used for active cooling. Fans are used to draw cooler air into the case from the outside, expel warm air from inside and move air across a heat sink to cool a particular component. Both axial and sometimes centrifugal (blower/squirrel-cage) fans are used in computers. Computer fans commonly come in standard sizes, such as 92 mm, 120 mm, 140 mm, and even 200–220 mm. Computer fans are powered and controlled using 3-pin or 4-pin fan connectors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thermaltake</span> Taiwanese PC component manufacturer

Thermaltake Technology Co., Ltd is a Taiwanese manufacturer of PC case designs, power supplies, cooling devices and peripherals. Its main headquarters are located in Taipei, Taiwan. It has multiple manufacturing facilities in mainland China, including a major plant at Dongguan.

Noctua is an Austrian computer hardware manufacturer of CPU-coolers and computer fans with a primary focus on the enthusiast market. The company's inception occurred in 2005 through a joint venture partnership between the Austrian company Rascom Computerdistribution Ges.m.b.H., established in August 2000, and the Taiwanese cooling specialist Kolink International Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arctic (company)</span> Computer cooling component manufacturer

Arctic GmbH, formerly known as Arctic Cooling, is a German, Swiss-founded manufacturer of computer cooling components, mainly CPU and graphics card coolers, case fans and thermal compound. Since 2010, Arctic expanded its business by starting a range of products to cater other consumer demands beyond that of computer cooling hardware. Nowadays, Arctic also offers various consumer products—spanning audio, home entertainment and computer peripherals. In 2012, Arctic was nominated as one of the finalists in the annual PCR Awards.

NZXT is an American computer hardware manufacturer based in Los Angeles, California. The company manufactures computer cases, components, and accessories for the PC gaming market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immersion cooling</span> IT cooling practice

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phanteks</span> Dutch company

Phanteks is a Dutch company which mainly produces PC cases, fans and other case accessories. The company has a base in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supermicro</span> American supplier of servers and other information technology products

Super Micro Computer, Inc., dba Supermicro, is an information technology company based in San Jose, California. It has manufacturing operations in the Silicon Valley, the Netherlands and at its Science and Technology Park in Taiwan. Founded on November 1, 1993, Supermicro is one of the largest producers of high-performance and high-efficiency servers. It also provides server management softwares, and storage systems for various markets, including enterprise data centers, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, 5G and edge computing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intel Xe</span> Intel GPU architecture

Intel Xe, earlier known unofficially as Gen12, is a GPU architecture developed by Intel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In Win Development</span> Taiwanese computer case company

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References

  1. 1 2 "Share Facts - Asetek". www.asetek.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Milestones - Asetek". www.asetek.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  3. ↑ "About Asetek - Asetek". www.asetek.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  4. ↑ "Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "ASETEK ANNUAL REPORT 2017". issuu. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  6. 1 2 "asetek_q4_2017_report.pdf" (PDF). www.asetek.com.
  7. ↑ "Largest Shareholders - Asetek". www.asetek.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  8. ↑ "Bloomberg". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  9. ↑ Burke, Steve. "OEMs & Brands: Who Actually Makes Your Liquid Coolers?" . Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  10. 1 2 "The Battle for Liquid Cooling: Asetek Sues CoolIT, is Corsair in Danger?". 2012-08-30. Archived from the original on 2018-10-08. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  11. ↑ "Asetek LCLC Takes Liquid Cooling Mainstream - Slashdot". hardware.slashdot.org. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  12. 1 2 3 "How Liquid Cooling Works - Asetek". www.asetek.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  13. ↑ "Computex: Corsair unveils new cases, peripherals, watercooling gear and more | KitGuru". www.kitguru.net. 2017-05-31. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  14. 1 2 Burke, Steve. "Corsair H150i Review: The First 6th Gen Asetek Pump" . Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  15. ↑ Asetek. "Asetek Gen6 Liquid Cooling Technology Powers Republic of Gamers Strix LC RGB Series of CPU Coolers". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2019-12-28.
  16. ↑ "GIGABYTE Goes All-In-One With AORUS LIQUID COOLER Series" . Retrieved 2019-11-29.
  17. 1 2 "Asetek wins injunction against Cooler Master liquid coolers". The Tech Report. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  18. ↑ "Asetek gets liquid cooling patents, sues CoolIT". The Tech Report. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  19. ↑ "Asetek Sues Cooler Master Over Multiple Patent Infringements". TechPowerUp. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  20. ↑ "CoolIT Prevails Against Asetek, PTAB Determines No Challenged Claims Unpatentable". 14 October 2020.
  21. ↑ "CoolIT Prevails Against Asetek, PTAB Determines No Challenged Claims Unpatentable".
  22. ↑ "Do-It-Yourself - Asetek". www.asetek.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
  23. ↑ "Workstations - Asetek". www.asetek.com. Retrieved 2018-10-06.
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