  In this paper, we describe ongoing work to investigate the properties of the
heat spreader, and its implication on architecture research. In specific, we
conduct two experiments to quantify the heat distribution across the surface of
a spreader during normal operation. The first experiment uses T-type
thermocouples, to find the temperature difference across different points on
the spreader. We observe about a 6 degree celsius temperature difference on
average. In the second experiment, we try to capture the temperature gradients
using an infrared camera. However, this experiment was inconclusive because of
some practical constraints such as the low emissivity of the spreader. We
conclude that to properly model the spreader, it is necessary to conduct
detailed finite element simulations. We describe a method to accurately measure
the thermal conductivity of the heat spreader such that it can be used to
compute the steady state temperature distribution across the spreader.
