Thermal Grizzly unveiled a water block with diamond plates for sculpted CPUs—price €1500

Thermal Grizzly presented an experimental water block with direct CPU cooling at Computex 2026

At the Computex 2026 exhibition, Thermal Grizzly showcased a prototype water block that is mounted directly above the silicon core of the CPU. The design incorporates diamond plates, and the estimated price is a minimum of €1 500 (PC Gamer).

How the block works
* Diamond plates

The plates are grown in a laboratory using chemical vapor deposition. Diamonds were chosen for their extremely high thermal conductivity: 2200 W/(m·K) versus 390 W/(m·K) for copper.

* Contact with the processor

To ensure reliable contact and sufficient wetting of the liquid metal, a special metallic coating is used. Without it, the liquid metal would not “adhere” to the diamond.

* Placement

The water block is positioned directly above the CPU core. The demonstration sample is designed for an AM5 socket with two CCD chiplets. To access the crystal, the CPU cap had to be removed – a risky procedure that is unsuitable for mass production.

* Internal construction

On the inner side are visible individual components: one diamond plate on each CCD chiplet and a polished metal plate beneath the I/O component. Each diamond plate costs about €500, which totals roughly €1 500 for the block.

Experimental stage
Thermal Grizzly representatives emphasized that the project remains experimental and is not yet planned for market release. The possibility of commercialization depends on further testing and optimizations.

Partnership with Platit
Together with the Swiss company Platit, Thermal Grizzly tested several alternative coatings for water blocks, excluding diamonds:

The company aims to eliminate nickel plating, which is prone to corrosion. Currently this is performed by an external contractor, but Thermal Grizzly plans to master the technology in-house.

Summary:

Thermal Grizzly introduced a water block with diamond plates designed for the AM5 socket and priced at about €1 500. The project remains experimental, and the company is working on more affordable coatings in collaboration with Platit to prepare the product for future markets.