Inventec Corp. secured fourth place globally in a server liquid cooling technology patent survey, positioning the Taiwanese original design manufacturer ahead of local rivals in an increasingly competitive thermal management sector.
The ranking comes as artificial intelligence workloads drive unprecedented demand for advanced cooling solutions, with industry forecasts suggesting liquid cooling could represent over 40% of some companies’ revenues by 2025.
A DIGITIMES platform report, utilizing LexisNexis data, placed three other Taiwanese companies in the top 20: Asia Vital Components ranked seventh, Foxconn landed twelfth, and Cooler Master claimed thirteenth position. The study analyzed global server liquid cooling patents since 2015, when filings began accelerating significantly.
However, patent counts don’t necessarily translate to market leadership or commercial success. The liquid cooling sector faces ongoing disruption, with key industry patents expiring and new competitors entering the market. Traditional thermal management approaches struggle with next-generation processors that generate substantially more heat than previous designs.
Intel has partnered with Foxconn and Inventec on cooling technologies capable of managing thermal design power exceeding 1,500 watts, highlighting the technical challenges data center operators face. The patent survey categorized both Inventec and Asia Vital as demonstrating high innovation intensity and patent novelty, though the methodology for these assessments remains unclear.
Whether patent portfolios will drive actual revenue growth depends largely on successful commercialization and customer adoption rates.
