Intel is teaming up with GRC to delve deeper into immersion liquid cooling technology
Intel, in collaboration with Green Revolution Cooling (GRC), has co-authored a whitepaper on liquid immersion cooling, highlighting the significance of new technologies driving sustainability. The joint effort asserts that liquid immersion cooling reduces the electricity required for cooling data centers and lowers operational costs. Both companies announced a multi-year project in January aimed at assisting the data center industry in minimizing its environmental impact. Additionally, GRC secured a $28 million investment from the South Korean company SK Lubricants in March.
GRC, specializing in immersion cooling technology, co-authored the whitepaper, while Intel, in May, revealed its establishment of a laboratory dedicated to identifying, testing, and demonstrating immersion cooling technology.
The core argument presented is that data centers currently consume approximately 1.5%-2% of the world's total power supply. If left uncontrolled, this percentage could escalate to 13% over the next decade. This reference is based on the previous research conducted by David Mytton, a former researcher with the Uptime Institute's sustainability team.
It is estimated that up to 40% of power consumption is dedicated to cooling all data center infrastructure. As processor power density continues to increase, servers have surpassed the limits of air cooling systems. The whitepaper warns that upcoming CPUs from Intel and AMD may reach thresholds beyond the capabilities of air cooling.
According to surveys conducted by Intel and GRC, many data center operators are aware of this issue, with up to three-quarters considering sustainability as a significant differentiator in competition. However, data centers have hit a roadblock in power usage effectiveness (PUE), lingering around 1.6 on average over the past decade.
Addressing the 40% of power consumed by cooling systems is a starting point. The whitepaper adds that eliminating internal server fans can reduce energy consumption by 10-15%. While heat-producing components within the chassis still need cooling, liquid cooling technology has matured, circulating a coolant through heat sinks connected to components such as CPUs. Wavelength, a server supplier in the hyperscale market, now offers such systems as an option within its product portfolio.
However, technology can always progress further. Intel and GRC believe that full immersion liquid cooling can enable more servers to be installed in a specific space, reducing power loads. This, in turn, decreases the number of auxiliary devices such as switchgear, cables, and backup generators, leading to a reduction in capital and operational costs.
Nevertheless, Moises Levy, Senior Analyst for Data Center Physical Infrastructure at Omdia, raised questions about this, citing potential technical pitfalls associated with liquid cooling, including the operational costs and procedures required for using this technology.
"People know about liquid cooling, but many times, they are not aware that they need a filtration system and supporting software development to monitor the quality of the dielectric fluid," he said. "This is another type of monitoring that requires higher technical labor."
Intel states that as industries like cloud computing and telecommunications increasingly adopt liquid cooling solutions, the company considers immersion cooling in its silicon product designs, necessitating a reconsideration of elements like heat sinks.
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