Dr Prabhakar Subrahmanyam, Professor of Practice at the Centre of Excellence for Electronic Cooling (CoEEC), SRM University-AP, is a Senior Staff Scientist / Distinguished Engineer at Dell Technologies, where he spearheads server and rack-level thermal management and AI/ML-driven thermal optimisation for data centre ecosystems.
Previously, as a Staff Scientist at Intel, he led thermal research and cooling techniques for microprocessors and GPUs, spanning client devices, desktops, Xeon servers, HPC, and graphics ecosystems. In his capacity as the Chief Thermal Architect for Intel’s advanced-node processors, Dr Prabhakar was critical in the manufacturing of the first exascale computing chip, Ponte Vecchio, for Argonne National Laboratory and the private sector.
Dr Prabhakar holds a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Stanford University, specialising in Hypersonic Aerothermodynamics & atmospheric entry heat transfer for planetary entry probes and vehicles. His research portfolio comprises 75 publications, over 60 patents (several pending at the patent office), and several innovations in heat exchangers, making him a pioneering technologist renowned for his expertise in jet impingement cooling techniques for high-power-density electronics.
During his tenure at Intel Labs, he pioneered and implemented a wide range of groundbreaking cooling technologies that left a lasting mark on the industry. Before joining Intel, he contributed to NASA Ames Research Centre, where he focused on thermal protection systems and heat shields designed for planetary entry probes. Throughout his career, he has been a driving force behind cooling and packaging research, advancing photolithography processes that continue to shape Intel’s processor and GPU development roadmap.
Dr Prabhakar has delivered 150 invited talks at universities and industries worldwide and played a key role in establishing Centres of Excellence for Electronic Cooling at SRMIST and SRM AP. He remains an active contributor to the academic community, serving as a session chair, track chair, and reviewer for leading publications including IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology, and ASME’s Journal of Electronic Packaging.
His expertise spans semiconductor thermal management, embedded systems, thermal management in data centres, and emerging technologies such as quantum computing, where advanced cooling solutions are essential for next-generation computing infrastructure.