As the importance of data centers for companies and society at large increases, more and more key developments are made to improve these infrastructures’ optimal operations and efficiencies. Cooling solutions lie at the heart of the top decisions to ensure both of these goals and innovative approaches like immersion cooling for data centers are providing operators with the key to open the door for equipment optimization and reducing power consumption.
What are the current challenges faced by data centers and how can immersion cooling for a data center provide optimizations and enhancements for these structures? As experts in cooling technology, at Immersion Cooling PC we share some key advantages of this methodology. Keep reading to find out.
n a way, the present and future of data center technologies is directly tied to the possibilities of society in general to move towards digitalization. As we move towards a digital era that increasingly relies on these structures being available and reliable, the market value of data center technologies is expected to grow spectacularly in the coming years, with consultants such as Global Newswire forecasting an expected growth at a CAGR of 7.5%.
Among other repercussions, this means a global effort is being developed to find the right technologies that enable total optimization for data centers. The following are the key aspects guiding this evolution
- Green data centers: the environmental costs of data centers are increasingly considered in these infrastructures’ design, with the aim of maximizing sustainable practices. Data center efficiency stands at the center of this goal, with the aim of employing the minimum amount of resources while enhancing the performance. In this context, measurement tools such as PUE are being implemented and gaining traction as design conditionings to determine how efficient a data center project is.
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- Cost optimizations: as the costs related to energy escalate, operators need to find new ways and sources to reduce their economical investments. Models such as pay-per-use data centers are being experimented with. Meanwhile, achieving efficiency also represents a way to access cost optimizations that don’t depend on third parties.
- Automation: time savings and efficiencies represent two of the key advantages of applying automation technologies and AI-enabled systems to data centers. These systems open the door to key enhancements such as predictive maintenance and the detection of patterns.
The role of cooling technology in data center optimization
The choice of data center cooling technology is a central aspect to the most salient of the enhancements needed by current operators. It’s not news that data centers generate a great energy demand, cooling applications being especially important in this field.
The following are among the benefits of liquid immersion cooling for data centers:
- Liquids are more efficient conductors for heat than air. This can lead to outstanding efficiency optimizations, as we’ve mentioned above.
- It’s a particularly beneficial technique for cooling heat-intensive equipment, such as servers. For instance, it’s a preferable choice for power densities above 15 kW per rack.
- Liquid immersion cooling for data centers offers up to 99% electricity savings.
- They don’t involve the rearrangement of plumbing systems.
- This cooling method also facilitates a more direct control over cooling specific areas (such as processors), because of its facilities to travel compared to air-based cooling alternatives
- Operators have access to a wide range of options to consider within the field of liquid immersion cooling, including non-conductive fluids, hot water cooling or chilled rear dolls. Hybrid models (that is, those that make the most of the advantages of air-based and liquid-based cooling) are also increasingly considered for these solutions.