ZTE IceCube data center liquid cooling cabinet
As data centers respond to the growing demand for artificial intelligence workloads, high-performance computing, and edge deployment, the limitations of traditional air cooling have become apparent. Air cooling is difficult to effectively eliminate the large amount of heat generated by high-density server racks, resulting in higher energy consumption, decreased performance, and increased operating costs.
Liquid cooling has become a superior alternative solution, utilizing the high thermal conductivity and high heat capacity of liquids to effectively dissipate heat from IT equipment. By directly targeting heat sources and minimizing reliance on energy intensive air conditioning systems, liquid cooling enables data centers to achieve higher computational density, improve energy efficiency, and reduce environmental impact.
At the 2024 Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, ZTE launched an IceCube liquid cooling system aimed at fundamentally changing data centers to achieve thermal management, energy efficiency, and sustainability. ZTE's IceCube cabinet elevates liquid cooling to new heights, providing a plug and play solution that seamlessly integrates advanced cooling technology with high-density server deployment.
The main features of this cabinet include:
Ultra high density: IceCube can accommodate up to 40 1U servers through zero gap deployment, greatly improving computing power per unit space. This high-density design allows data centers to maximize their computing power while minimizing footprint.
Efficient liquid cooling: The cabinet adopts a combination of cold plates and liquid cooling doors, which can effectively remove heat from the server. The cold plate is directly connected to high heating components such as the CPU and GPU to provide targeted cooling. The liquid cooled door further enhances heat dissipation, ensuring optimal thermal management of the entire cabinet.
Excellent energy efficiency: With advanced liquid cooling technology, IceCube achieves partial power efficiency (pPUE) values below 1.1. This means that compared to IT loads, the cooling system consumes the least energy, significantly saving energy and reducing operating costs.
Blind insertion design: IceCube adopts a blind insertion design, suitable for water, power, and network connections. This innovative method ensures high connection accuracy and achieves seamless plugging and unplugging between server nodes and cabinets. Blind insertion design simplifies maintenance, reduces the risk of human error, and benefits future automation and robot operations.
Modular and Scalable: The modular design of the cabinet allows for flexible deployment and easy expansion. The data center can start with a single IceCube cabinet and gradually expand its liquid cooling infrastructure as computing demand grows. This modular approach can achieve a phased transition from traditional air cooling to liquid cooling, thereby minimizing interruptions and capital expenditures.
The design of IceCube is futuristic, supporting automatic preventive maintenance and robot operations. With the improvement of data center automation, IceCube's blind insertion design and modular architecture will promote the adoption of advanced maintenance technologies, further improving operational efficiency and reliability.
