The Paradigm Shift to Liquid Cooling: Accelerating at Supersonic Speed

Last year, during my keynote at the OCP Global Summit, I explored the dynamic shifts within the data center cooling industry, advocating for a nuanced approach beyond the one-size-fits-all method. Today, nearly a year later, the industry has rapidly evolved, embracing advanced cooling technologies to meet the demands of increased energy efficiency, enhanced computational power, and greater sustainability.

As a candidate for the leadership role in the OCP Cooling Environments project, I am committed to fostering an environment of collaboration and innovation. This article extends the discussion from that keynote, focusing on pivotal liquid cooling technologies that are defining the future of datacenters.

The Current Landscape of Datacenter Cooling

The data center industry is undergoing a transformative shift in cooling technologies, responding to the escalating thermal demands of modern IT equipment. This shift, supported by advancements in materials science, fluid dynamics, and modular system design, enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of cooling systems critical for today's IT infrastructure.

As the density of IT equipment continues to increase, the role of Door Heat Exchangers has become an ever more critical norm in data center cooling strategies due to their highly effective air cooling capabilities.

The rapid adoption of cold plate technology is evident while several leading server manufacturers have begun integrating cold plate technology into their designs as a standard feature to cope with increasing chip densities and power consumption.

Following in the footsteps of cold plate technology, Immersion Cooling is rapidly gaining traction. Initially adopted for its drastic improvements in energy efficiency and cooling capacity, immersion technology is now evolving to incorporate precision cooling features like directed flow and integration with cold plates to target high heat-generating components more precisely.

The ecosystem is more clearly defining itself with distinct roles: Door Heat Exchangers taking on the responsibility for air cooling, cold plate systems offering pinpoint precision cooling, and immersion cooling technologies emerging to handle full system cooling with increasing precision.

Integration of technologies

The integration and growing adoption of these technologies reflect a larger trend towards liquid cooling solutions, driven by the need to handle more powerful and thermally challenging hardware without compromising on efficiency or environmental impact. The shift towards cold plate and immersion cooling not only signifies a technological evolution but also a strategic realignment of cooling infrastructures to meet future demands. As these technologies develop, their integration will play a critical role in shaping the next generation of datacenters, making interoperability a key focus for industry leaders.

The adaptation of cold plate technology with Door heat exchangers and now within immersion systems represents notable advancements and such hybrid systems are setting new standards for thermal management in high-density settings. This approach not only increases the cooling precision but also improves the energy efficiency of cooling high-performance computing nodes.

Challenges to Adoption

The widespread adoption of liquid cooling still faces some challenges. One major hurdle is the retrofitting of existing data center infrastructures, which are predominantly designed for air cooling systems. The transition involves significant upfront costs and logistical complexities, including changes in hardware design and facility layout. This challenge is rapidly overcome by the global focus on liquid cooled AI systems and the commoditization of cold plate technology and Door Heat Exchangers, which is forcing the industry to normalize water infrastructures in the whitespace.

Future Prospects and Industry Impact

Hybrid liquid cooling technologies are already playing a pivotal role in the deployment of next-generation data centers, especially those catering to HPC and AI applications. The technology's ability to handle extreme heat loads makes it ideal for supporting the advanced chipsets and GPUs that are foundational to these applications.

Moreover, as the technology matures, the development of standards for liquid cooling in all shapes and forms will stimulate adoption. These standards will help alleviate concerns about interoperability and maintenance, making immersion cooling a more accessible option for a broader range of data center operators.

Interoperability as the new focus for the industry

The diversity in IT hardware configurations and the variable thermal output of different components necessitate a flexible and adaptive cooling strategy. Integration of cooling technologies allows data centers to optimize cooling efficiency by deploying the right technology where it is most effective.

Looking forward, the focus will need to shift towards developing unified cooling infrastructures that are agnostic to the type of cooling technology employed. Such infrastructures will not only support current technologies but also be adaptable to future innovations in cooling. The goal is to create a flexible, modular cooling architecture that can accommodate any cooling method, be it air, liquid, or immersion, and switch between them as necessary based on practicality, thermal load, energy efficiency, and operational costs.

This also requires a high degree of interoperability among cooling systems, ensuring that they can function cohesively without compromising the performance of each other. This interoperability is also essential for scalability, allowing data centers to expand or modify their cooling infrastructure with minimal disruption and cost.

Such unified approach facilitates a multi-generational readiness of data centers, enabling them to keep pace with rapid advancements in computing technology without requiring frequent overhauls of the cooling infrastructure. Ultimately, the drive towards integrated and interoperable cooling solutions will empower data centers to meet their cooling needs in the most efficient, scalable, and sustainable manner possible.

Sustainability and heat reuse as the new norm

As the push towards sustainability becomes more pronounced, cooling technologies that reduce water and energy consumption will be particularly valued. Innovations that enable the reuse of waste heat, improve the thermal management of data centers, and reduce overall environmental impact will be critical.

I particular the increased attention to heat reuse represents a transformative shift in sustainability practices, driven by the higher operational temperatures achievable through liquid cooling. By maximizing the thermal capacities of various cooling methods such as cold plate and immersion systems, data centers can now efficiently cascade the thermal output from one system to another, effectively utilizing excess heat for efficiency rather than wasting it. This cascading effect also allows for the repurposing of residual heat thus reducing overall energy consumption.

The proliferation of open-source designs and benchmarks in the public domain has significantly bolstered global awareness and adoption of heat reuse practices. These resources provide a blueprint for integrating thermal management strategies that capitalize on the inherent energy retention properties of liquid cooling, fostering a worldwide movement towards more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly data center operations.

The role of industry collaboration

By prioritizing these areas, the data center industry can not only meet the immediate challenges of increasing thermal loads but also set the foundation for long-term sustainability and efficiency in the face of ever-evolving global demands. This future perspective will heavily rely on enhanced collaboration across the industry. Manufacturers, researchers, and data center operators will need to work together closely to align on standards, share best practices, and co-develop solutions that address the broad spectrum of cooling needs. Such collaboration is crucial in overcoming the technical and economic barriers that currently hinder the adoption of advanced cooling technologies.

The Open Compute Project Foundation (OCP) plays a critical role in this regard by developing and promoting open standards that facilitate interoperability among different cooling solutions. With the build-up of strong alignments with other industry consortia and standard-setting bodies, OCP will continue to play a critical role in this effort. By facilitating dialogue and cooperation, OCP helps ensure that new cooling technologies will meet the diverse needs of data centers globally.

Join Us in Shaping the Future of Datacenter Cooling

As we stand at the cusp of significant advancements in datacenter cooling technologies, the journey ahead promises both challenges and transformative opportunities. My candidacy for the leadership role in the OCP Cooling Environments project is driven by a commitment to not just witness but actively support the shaping of this future. To realize the potential of our next-generation data centers with the supersonic speed in which liquid cooling has been gaining traction, collaboration across all sectors of the industry is not just beneficial, it is essential.

I invite you, the innovators, engineers, and thinkers of our community, to join me in this endeavor. Whether you are developing cutting-edge technologies, managing data center operations, or contributing to standards that will guide our industry, your insights and expertise are crucial.

Here’s how you can get involved:

• Engage with the OCP Community: Participate in our forums and working groups. Share your experiences, challenges, and solutions. Your contributions can drive the development of global standards that benefit us all.
• Collaborate on Research and Development: Let’s combine our efforts to tackle the technical and operational challenges we face. By pooling our resources and knowledge, we can accelerate innovation and the adoption of sustainable cooling solutions.
• Advocate for Sustainability: As we enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of datacenter cooling, we also have an opportunity to lead in sustainability. Promote and implement practices that not only meet our current needs but also protect our environment for future generations.
• Your voice matters: join the conversation and help us define actionable paths forward. Together, we can build a cooling infrastructure that supports rapid technological advancements and creates a sustainable, energy-efficient future.

Let’s innovate, collaborate, and lead. Join me in making a difference!

About?Promersion

Leading the way in immersion cooling, Promersion provides strategic business support to companies engaging with liquid cooling technologies. Dedicated to collaboration, Promersion works with industry stakeholders to promote best practices and innovation in the liquid cooling community.