Cutting-Edge Cooling Solutions

AWS Builds Custom Liquid Cooling System for Data Centers Amazon Web Services (AWS) is sharing details of a new liquid cooling system to support high-density AI infrastructure in its data centers, including custom designs for a coolant distribution unit and an engineered fluid. “We've crossed a threshold where it becomes more economical to use liquid cooling to extract the heat,” said Dave Klusas, AWS’s senior manager of data center cooling systems, in a blog post. The AWS team considered multiple vendor liquid cooling solutions, but found none met its needs and began designing a completely custom system, which was delivered in 11 months, the company said. The direct-to-chip solution uses a cold plate placed directly on top of the chip. The coolant, a fluid specifically engineered by AWS, runs in tubes through the sealed cold plate, absorbing the heat and carrying it out of the server rack to a heat rejection system, and then back to the cold plates. It’s a closed loop system, meaning the liquid continuously recirculates without increasing the data center’s water consumption. AWS also developed a custom coolant distribution unit, which it said is more powerful and more efficient than its off-the-shelf competitors. “We invented that specifically for our needs,” Klusas says. “By focusing specifically on our problem, we were able to optimize for lower cost, greater efficiency, and higher capacity.” Klusas said the liquid is typically at “hot tub” temperatures for improved efficiency. AWS has shared details of its process, including photos: https://lnkd.in/e-D4HvcK

Headline: China Sinks Data Centers into the Ocean to Tackle AI Cooling Crisis ⸻ Introduction: To support its aggressive push into artificial intelligence and cloud computing, China is rapidly expanding its data center infrastructure. But this expansion poses a growing challenge: how to cool vast server farms without depleting precious water supplies. In a bold and innovative move, China is deploying data centers underwater, turning to the ocean as a sustainable cooling solution—and in doing so, it may be outpacing the rest of the world. ⸻ Key Details: 1. AI Demands Fuel Data Center Growth • China’s economic strategy prioritizes AI, digital infrastructure, and cloud computing as critical engines of future growth. • These technologies depend on high-performance data centers, which consume massive energy and water resources for cooling. 2. Water Scarcity vs. Data Center Demand • Traditional land-based data centers use hundreds of thousands of gallons of water per day to dissipate heat. • Many are located in arid regions like Arizona, Spain, and parts of the Middle East due to their low humidity, despite water scarcity in these areas. • As these centers proliferate, they compete directly with agriculture and human consumption, prompting sustainability concerns. 3. China’s Ocean-Based Solution • In response to the growing water challenge, China is leading the deployment of underwater data centers, placing them offshore to utilize natural ocean cooling. • This method drastically reduces water usage and energy costs while avoiding the land-use conflicts associated with traditional facilities. • China’s efforts appear to be ahead of other nations, which have only experimented with submerged servers on a limited scale. 4. Environmental and Strategic Implications • Underwater data centers may reduce carbon footprints and eliminate the need for massive evaporative cooling systems. • However, there are questions about long-term maintenance, ecological impact, and geopolitical access to maritime infrastructure. • The shift could reinforce China’s position in the global AI arms race by improving data center efficiency and reducing operational constraints. ⸻ Why It Matters: As AI continues to drive demand for computing power, the environmental costs of data centers—especially water usage—are becoming unsustainable. China’s underwater strategy not only offers a bold path to sustainability but also serves as a geopolitical differentiator in the digital era. If successful at scale, ocean-based data centers could reshape the future of computing infrastructure worldwide, offering a cleaner, cooler alternative to traditional server farms on land. https://lnkd.in/gEmHdXZy

🌡️ Revolutionizing Data Center Cooling: The Power of Fluorinated Liquids!** 🌊✨ Discover how cutting-edge immersion cooling technology is transforming the way we manage heat in high-performance computing. With fluorinated liquids leading the charge, we’re not just enhancing efficiency—we’re paving the way for a sustainable future in tech! 🔧💚 Immersion cooling is an advanced cooling technique used primarily in data centers and high-performance computing environments. This method involves submerging electronic components, such as servers and other hardware, directly into a dielectric (non-conductive) liquid coolant. How Immersion Cooling Works The process of immersion cooling can be broken down into three main steps: 1. Submersion: Hardware components are fully submerged in a dielectric coolant, which is designed to avoid electrical interference. Fans and power supplies must be removed before submersion. 2. Heat Absorption: The liquid coolant, which has a higher thermal conductivity than air, absorbs the heat generated by the electronic components. 3. Heat Dissipation: The heated liquid is circulated to a heat exchanger where the heat is transferred away from the coolant, allowing it to be recirculated back to the hardware. Types of Immersion Cooling There are two main approaches to immersion cooling: 1. Single-Phase Immersion Cooling:    - The coolant remains in liquid form throughout the process.   - The liquid is pumped to a heat exchanger where heat is transferred to a cool water circuit.   - Cooling baths are typically open-topped due to low evaporation risk. 2. Two-Phase Immersion Cooling:   - Uses a dielectric fluid with a low boiling point (around 56°C).   - The heat causes the liquid to boil and change to gas.   - The gas rises, meets a condenser, and 'rains' back into the pool, cooling the working fluid again.   - Requires sealed baths to prevent gas escape. Benefits of Immersion Cooling Immersion cooling offers several advantages over traditional air cooling methods: - Energy Efficiency: Can reduce Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) to below 1.1, compared to the global average of 1.55. - Space Saving: Allows for higher computing density in a smaller space. - Noise Reduction: Eliminates the need for fans, resulting in quieter operation. - Hardware Longevity: Maintains consistent temperatures, reducing thermal stress on components. - Sustainability: Can reduce carbon emissions by up to 39% and water consumption by up to 91%. Coolants Used The dielectric fluids used in immersion cooling fall into two categories: 1. Oils (synthetic, mineral, bio) 2. Engineered fluids (e.g., 3M's Novec or Fluorinert lines) Immersion cooling represents a significant advancement in data center cooling technology, offering improved efficiency, sustainability, and performance compared to traditional air cooling methods. What do you think? #DataCenter #CoolingTechnology #Sustainability #Innovation #3M #Novec #ai Video courtesy of MechMarvelTV

🚨 Cooling the AI Megawatt: 7 Innovators Redefining Data Center Thermal Design 💧 The AI era isn’t just driving compute demand—it’s rewriting the rulebook for thermal design. With chip TDPs > 1kW and rack densities topping 100kW, traditional air-cooled systems are hitting the wall. 🔥 The signal just got louder: Microsoft is rolling out LG’s full-stack liquid cooling suite—chillers, CDUs, cold plates, and CRAHs—across a wave of new AI data centers. 💰 According to Dell’Oro, the liquid-cooling hardware market will hit $15B in 5 years. Investors are paying attention—and so should you. 🧊 Here are 7 Companies Leading the Thermal Arms Race: 1️⃣ LiquidStack – Two-phase immersion pioneer backed by $35M from Tiger Global 2️⃣ Iceotope – Just launched Iceotope Labs, the first AI-focused liquid cooling test center 3️⃣ Submer – Closed-loop immersion with heat reuse potential for district heating 4️⃣ CoolIT Systems – KKR-owned, pushing 4kW cold plates & high-pressure loop design 5️⃣ ZutaCore – Waterless two-phase cooling, now integrated with Carrier’s HVAC lineup 6️⃣ Vertiv – “Switchable” colocation-ready systems; future-proofs for air + liquid hybrids 7️⃣ Schneider Electric – Partnered with $NVDA on turnkey EcoStruxure™ cooling blueprints 🏆 Honorable Mention: Nautilus Data Technologies — using river water for open-loop cooling & deploying CDU pods for third-party DCs. 🌊🛳️ 🧠 What Operators & Investors Need to Know: 💡 Hybrid is the New Normal – Designs that toggle between air & liquid de-risk capex as AI loads evolve 💰 Funding is Flowing – Strategic HVAC players and PE firms are betting liquid will be mandatory for >50kW racks 📐 Standards Are Lagging – Early adopters who solve for serviceability and safety can turn risk into revenue 🌱 Sustainability = Permits – Cooling solutions that reuse heat or eliminate water help meet ESG goals + unlock interconnection 🔭 What’s Next? If 2023 was the pilot phase, 2025 is the deployment phase. Expect more OEM x Cooling JV deals, more campus-scale rollouts, and municipal regulations focused on water use and heat recycling. 💬 Your Turn: Which tech will dominate AI cooling? 🌡️ Immersion? 🥶 Cold Plate? 🌬️ Rear-door heat exchangers? 🧪 Something we haven’t even seen yet? Drop your thoughts (and cooling war stories) 👇 #AI #DataCenters #LiquidCooling #ThermalDesign #Infrastructure #Hyperscale #Sustainability #CoolingInnovation #EnergyEfficiency #HeatReuse

Got to tour my first Data Center yesterday.  Here are some takeaways from it.  Note, I’m not an expert in Data Centers and these thoughts are more from a curious investor standpoint. First off, special thank you to Allison Boen and Shell who was kind enough to host myself, Zach and Joe during the lunch and learn session with industry leaders from Green Revolution Cooling, Supermicro, Shell and AMD to name a few.. The data center we went into was a Shell Data Center. With our HVAC background, and our recent exit of Flow Service Partners, our first thought on data centers was, let’s dig into the cooling side of things. 1.  Immersion cooling is a need, not a want. The rise in kW per rack and TDP due to the growth in AI and GPU processing is resulting in rack densities that are simply too hot to be cooled through computer room air conditioning ("CRAC" - i.e., traditional AC). 2.  Companies should be excited about this! Immersion cooling has immense benefits - decreasing total cost of ownership, increase in computing densities, decreasing failure rates and increasing hardware lifespans, and increasing the number of racks able to run at once due to less space needed for cooling tanks. The dielectric fluid Shell is producing is recyclable and environmentally friendly. And don't even get me started on the noise factor of CRACs vs. immersion cooling tanks.…the sound would make you go crazy if you stayed in there there too long. 3. The current resistance and hesitancy to adopt immersion cooling techniques can be boiled down to two factors. One being the capital outlay needing to retrofit facilities (this will become less of an issue as new data centers are built to be liquid cooling friendly) and the other being the lack of warranties offered on some of the chips. Some companies currently offer product warranties, but most do not. Once more warranties are offered, I think the floodgates towards liquid cooling adoption will be opened. 4. Some hyperscalers and operators are currently utilizing immersion cooling for ~30% of total cooling efforts. If a data center is already hooked into the grid and can draw a predefined amount of power, then immersion cooling is the only way to get more density without generating a higher level of draw from the grid. This could result an additional 35% of total power usage that goes to conventional HVAC systems switching over to cool racks. 5. All this boils down to I think the industry will more and more shift towards immersion cooling.  There was even talk of combining direct to chip and immersion cooling. If you are looking for an investment in the data center space, would love to chat.

Element Six Introduces Copper-Diamond Composite for Advanced Semiconductor Cooling UK-based Element Six (E6) has unveiled a groundbreaking copper-diamond (Cu-Diamond) composite material designed to address thermal management challenges in AI chips and GaN RF devices. Key features of the Cu-Diamond composite include: 🔸 High Thermal Conductivity: Achieving up to 800 W/mK, ideal for high-performance applications. 🔸 Customizable Design: Available in thicknesses of 0.35mm and 2mm with diamond content of 35% or 45%. The substrate can be produced in complex shapes for integration into 2.5D/3D advanced packaging. 🔸 Enhanced Coatings: Optional gold or nickel coatings improve thermal transfer properties. With over 50% of electronic failures attributed to heat, and data centers projected to consume 10% of U.S. power by 2029, advanced thermal solutions like this are critical. Daniel Twitchen, Chief Technologist at E6, remarked: “Our copper-diamond composite offers a scalable and affordable solution, empowering next-gen AI and HPC devices to enhance performance while reducing cooling costs.” E6 will showcase this innovation at Photonics West 2025 in the U.S. this week. What role will diamond-based materials play in shaping the future of semiconductor thermal management? Thanks again to eeNews Europe for the full article with more background and insights click the source link in the comments below. #Semiconductors #ThermalManagement #Innovation #AI #PhotonicsWest