Thermal Pad from the company Thermal Grizzly. In computers and electronics, thermal pads are pre-shaped rectangular pieces made from solid material, often based on paraffin wax or silicone, which are usually located on the underside of coolers to aid in heat transfer from a component being cooled, such as a CPU or another chip. They are an alternative to thermal paste used as a thermal interface material. AMD and Intel have included thermal pads on the bottom of coolers that come with some of their processors, as they are easier to install.