Noctua launches carbon nanotube thermal pad for AMD processors

Austrian cooling manufacturer Noctua is bringing a retail thermal pad featuring Carbice's vertically-aligned carbon nanotube technology to the market. Designed for AMD AM4 and AM5 processors, the NT-CP1 pad is priced at $24.95 in the US and €24.95 in Europe. Unlike traditional thermal pastes and pads that degrade over time due to cracking and pump-out, Noctua's new product uses technology originally developed for aerospace systems. The carbon nanotubes conform to microscopic CPU imperfections over hundreds of thermal cycles, allowing heat transfer performance to improve rather than deteriorate. The 90µm thick, 33x33mm pad features an aluminum backbone and a nanoscale polymer coating for easier handling and electrical insulation. Noctua highlights that the manufacturing process uses recycled aluminum and waste carbon gas, and the product itself can be recycled through standard aluminum channels.