Patel has been a pioneer in microprocessor and system thermo-mechanical architectures, management of available energy as a key resource in "smart" data centers, and most recently, application of the IT ecosystem to enable a net positive impact on the environment. He has transcended conventional thinking in sustainability through a holistic, systemic and fundamentals based approach, in sharp contrast to the cookbook approaches that focus solely on greenhouse gas emissions. He has changed the conversation in sustainability to address lifetime resource consumption by using Joules of available energy or exergy as the currency.

Patel joined HP Labs in 1991, initially leading the cooling and packaging research of the Wide Word microprocessor. He founded the thermal technology research program, and with partners in the R&D groups, started a virtual thermal community - the vibrant HP Cool Team - to productize the electronics cooling research in HP Laboratories. Through the 90s, he charted the directions in thermo-mechanical research that led to innovations in chip and system cooling solutions. In the late 90s, he initiated the research in “smart” data centers. He foresaw the need to reduce available energy consumption by dynamically provisioning IT, power and cooling resources in the data center, arguing that the “data center is the computer.” It led to the development of an end-to-end management system to address data center energy consumption and the total cost of ownership.

Research interests
Energy-efficient computing, thermal-management technologies. Chandrakant founded HP Labs' thermal technology research program in the early 1990s.