Standards as trust language, not a checklist.
AQG 324 v04.1 — SiC power-cycling requirements
AQG 324 v04.1, published April 2025, added explicit power-cycling test requirements and acceptance criteria for silicon-carbide (SiC) power modules used in automotive traction and charging applications. Earlier revisions of the guideline were written primarily around silicon IGBT modules; the v04.1 update reflects SiC's different failure mechanisms (bond wire lift-off and solder fatigue behave differently under SiC's faster switching and higher junction temperature swings).
ASHRAE TC 9.9 — liquid-cooled class and resilience bulletin
ASHRAE TC 9.9's 5th edition formalized an H1 liquid-cooled equipment class alongside the existing air-cooled A-classes, and a September 2024 bulletin added resilience guidance specific to liquid-cooling loops (leak response, redundancy, facility water quality). The practical driver is rack power density: AI accelerator racks commonly exceed 30 kW, a range where the air-cooled A-classes no longer describe an achievable or efficient operating envelope.
EU EED 2023/1791 & Delegated Regulation 2024/1364 — data centre reporting
The recast EU Energy Efficiency Directive (2023/1791) and the related Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1364 introduced mandatory reporting of power usage effectiveness (PUE), waste-heat recovery potential, and water usage for data centres with an installed IT power demand of 500 kW or more operating in the EU.
JEDEC JEP30 PartModel & OCP CDXML — chiplet thermal models
The May 2024 update to JEDEC JEP30's PartModel exchange format, alongside the Open Compute Project's chiplet CDXML format, extended part-model interchange to explicitly carry thermal properties for individual chiplets — not just electrical and mechanical parameters. This reflects the shift toward multi-die and chiplet-based packages, where system integrators need a thermal model for each chiplet rather than treating the package as a single thermal node.
JEDEC — Package & Die Thermal Characterization
Standard test methods for junction-to-ambient, junction-to-case and junction-to-board thermal resistance of integrated circuits.
Measured thermal resistance and structure function data under the specified boundary conditions.
Thermal transient testing on Simcenter Micred T3Ster
Semiconductor / IC Packaging, Electronics / PCB Systems
Delphi/DELPHI-style compact thermal model methodology for two-resistor and detailed compact models of packaged devices.
A validated compact thermal model (BCI-ROM) tied to measured structure functions.
Compact model extraction from T3Ster measurement + Flotherm correlation
Semiconductor / IC Packaging
Guidelines for thermal and electrical package parameter terminology and part-level thermal model exchange (PartModel).
A JEP30 PartModel-compliant thermal model with documented boundary conditions.
Thermal model authoring from T3Ster characterization data
Semiconductor / IC Packaging
Thermal resistance test method and temperature cycling reliability test procedures for solid-state devices.
Thermal resistance drift and cycle-to-failure data across the specified temperature range.
Pre/post-cycling thermal resistance measurement on T3Ster
Semiconductor / IC Packaging, Automotive / EV
Automotive Power Electronics Qualification
Stress qualification for ICs, discretes, optoelectronics and multichip modules used in automotive applications.
Thermal and power-cycling stress data supporting the qualification test plan.
Power cycling and thermal transient testing on Power Tester and T3Ster
Automotive / EV
Automotive qualification guideline for discrete IGBT and power module packages, including power-cycling lifetime requirements.
Power-cycling lifetime data and thermal impedance measurement per the guideline's test conditions.
Power-cycling and thermal transient measurement on Power Tester and T3Ster
Automotive / EV
Mechanical and climatic test methods for semiconductor devices.
Thermal resistance and structure-function measurement before and after the applicable stress test.
Thermal transient testing on T3Ster
Automotive / EV, Semiconductor / IC Packaging
Military & Aerospace
Test methods for semiconductor devices (750/883) and environmental engineering considerations for equipment (810).
Thermal resistance, thermal cycling and environmental stress data per the referenced test method.
Thermal transient characterization on T3Ster; system-level thermal simulation in Simcenter 3D Thermal
Aerospace / Defense
Environmental conditions and test procedures for airborne equipment, including thermal and altitude sections.
Thermal simulation and/or measured data supporting the applicable environmental category.
System thermal simulation with Flotherm and Simcenter 3D Thermal
Aerospace / Defense
Mechanical standards for conduction- and air-cooled rugged electronics modules (VPX).
Conduction path thermal simulation validated against measured card and wedge-lock temperatures.
Enclosure/rack thermal simulation in Flotherm and STAR-CCM+
Aerospace / Defense
European Cooperation for Space Standardization thermal control engineering requirements for spacecraft.
Thermal analysis model and results consistent with the specified verification approach.
System-level thermal simulation in Simcenter 3D Thermal
Aerospace / Defense
Data Center & Electronics Cooling
Recommended and allowable environmental envelopes (temperature, humidity) for data center IT equipment, including liquid-cooled classes.
Rack- and room-level airflow and thermal simulation demonstrating compliance with the targeted class.
Facility and rack thermal simulation with Flotherm, STAR-CCM+ and FLOEFD
Data Centers / Telecom
LED lumen maintenance measurement (LM-80) and lumen depreciation projection methodology (TM-21).
Junction temperature simulation used to correlate LM-80 test conditions to the application environment.
LED and board-level thermal simulation with Flotherm and FLOEFD
Electronics / PCB Systems
Medical, Energy Storage & Vehicle Safety
Basic safety and essential performance requirements for medical electrical equipment, including thermal limits on accessible surfaces.
Surface and internal temperature simulation and measurement against the applicable limits.
Enclosure and system thermal simulation with Flotherm and FLOEFD
Medical Devices
Test method for evaluating thermal runaway fire propagation in battery energy storage systems.
Thermal runaway propagation simulation supporting cell-, module- and unit-level test planning.
Battery thermal simulation with Simcenter 3D Thermal and Amesim
Energy / Power Electronics, Automotive / EV
Uniform provisions for approval of electric vehicles with regard to specific battery safety requirements.
Battery pack thermal and thermal-runaway propagation simulation supporting the safety case.
Battery pack thermal simulation with Simcenter 3D Thermal and Amesim
Automotive / EV
Telecom Equipment
Generic reliability assurance requirements for optoelectronic devices used in telecommunications.
Thermal resistance and thermal cycling data supporting the reliability qualification plan.
Thermal transient testing on T3Ster
Data Centers / Telecom
Network Equipment-Building System physical design and environmental requirements, including thermal margin.
Airflow and thermal simulation demonstrating margin at the specified ambient and altitude conditions.
System and enclosure thermal simulation with Flotherm and STAR-CCM+
Data Centers / Telecom
Thermal Interface Materials
Standard test method for steady-state thermal transmission properties of thin thermally conductive materials.
Steady-state thermal resistance and conductivity data, or dynamic TIM characterization as a faster alternative.
TIM characterization on Simcenter Micred DynTIM
Semiconductor / IC Packaging, Electronics / PCB Systems, Automotive / EV
Not sure which standard applies to your program?
A thermal specialist can help map your qualification plan to the evidence it requires. Engineering work is delivered as a paid ROIfast™ engagement; software evaluation licences remain complimentary.