Advancing Data Center Cooling: Vertiv’s Pioneering Chilled Water Solutions

January 30, 2025

Today’s data centers are evolving rapidly, driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), higher thermal densities, and stringent sustainability requirements. Traditional air cooling systems are increasingly proving insufficient to meet these new demands. Vertiv™ is at the forefront of this transformation, pioneering chilled water solutions that offer versatile and efficient cooling for modern data centers.

Hybrid Data Centers and Their Unique Challenges

The Complexity of Hybrid Environments

Modern data centers are transitioning into hybrid facilities that blend legacy IT infrastructure with next-generation AI and high-performance computing. This hybridization provides flexibility and scalability but also introduces operational complexities. Workloads now vary significantly, leading to unpredictable spikes in energy consumption and heat generation. The ability to effectively manage these fluctuations is paramount for data center operators striving to maintain efficiency and reliability.

George Hannah, senior director of global chilled water systems at Vertiv, emphasizes that this rapid transformation introduces a broad range of density and temperature requirements. Liquid cooling, coupled with chilled water systems, is becoming the preferred solution to manage these conditions. Chilled water networks are particularly efficient in hybrid environments as they can seamlessly integrate with both air and liquid cooling systems. This integration allows data centers to operate optimally, regardless of the varying demands placed upon them by diverse and evolving workloads.

Optimizing Cooling Strategies

The adaptability of chilled water systems allows data center operators to optimize their cooling strategies for diverse applications. This flexibility is crucial for managing the varying workloads and thermal demands of hybrid data centers, ensuring both reliability and efficiency. By integrating chilled water solutions, operators can better handle the complexities of modern data center environments. This not only enhances operational efficiency but also contributes to sustainability by reducing energy consumption and mitigating potential heat-related issues.

The effectiveness of chilled water systems in hybrid data centers is further underscored by their capacity to support both air and liquid cooling. This dual capability provides data center operators with the tools needed to tailor cooling strategies to specific operational requirements. By adopting such flexible and robust cooling solutions, data centers can better adapt to the rapidly changing technological landscape. Additionally, this approach helps in maintaining optimal performance and extending the lifespan of critical IT infrastructure.

The Shift to Higher Operating Temperatures

Impact of Powerful GPUs

A significant trend reshaping the data center industry is the shift towards higher room temperatures, driven by the development of powerful graphics processing units (GPUs). These advanced computing components generate substantial heat, necessitating innovative cooling solutions capable of handling the increased thermal load. George notes that the temperature and density thresholds needed for efficiently cooling future AI deployments are expected to evolve significantly in the coming years. This shift necessitates a new generation of adaptive and flexible cooling technology that can meet these emerging demands.

Chilled water systems are particularly well-suited to meet these challenges, as they can efficiently manage elevated water temperatures and handle high-density computing environments. The ability of these systems to maintain optimal cooling performance, even under increased thermal stress, makes them invaluable to data center operators. By adopting chilled water solutions, data centers can better accommodate the growing use of powerful GPUs and other advanced technologies that drive up operational temperatures and thermal densities.

Predicting Future Water Temperature Requirements

Accurately predicting future water temperature requirements for cooling systems presents a significant challenge and potential risk for hyperscale and colocation data center owners. Misestimating these needs can lead to inefficient cooling, higher energy consumption, limited future expansion capabilities, and even damage to critical IT equipment. Therefore, it is essential to adopt cooling technologies that are both adaptable and capable of accommodating future demands. Chilled water systems play a crucial role in addressing these challenges, efficiently managing elevated water temperatures and high densities.

The use of chilled water systems in data centers allows for a more accurate prediction and management of future thermal demands. These systems are designed to handle a wide range of operating temperatures, making them suitable for various data center configurations and future technological advancements. By investing in advanced chilled water technology, data centers can mitigate the risks associated with fluctuating thermal loads and ensure efficient cooling performance, regardless of how operational requirements evolve. This forward-thinking approach is essential for maintaining the long-term viability and efficiency of modern data centers.

Supporting Densification with Advanced Solutions

The Trend of Densification

Densification, or the packing of more computing power into less space, has become a defining trend in data center design. This trend is driven primarily by the increasing demand for higher computational capacities within constrained physical footprints. While densification maximizes performance, it also generates significantly more heat per square meter, creating substantial cooling challenges. George emphasizes that densification is a key term defining the future of data centers, especially with AI driving workloads. Efficient cooling solutions are vital in managing the heat generated by denser IT equipment.

As data centers continue to adopt higher densities, the need for innovative cooling solutions becomes more critical. Traditional cooling methods often fall short in adequately managing the heat generated by high-density environments, leading to inefficiencies and potential equipment failures. Chilled water systems, known for their superior heat management capabilities, offer an effective solution to these challenges. These systems can deliver precise cooling to high-density areas, ensuring optimal performance and reliability.

Innovative Cooling Solutions

Cooling requirements are shifting, necessitating innovative and flexible solutions that can efficiently manage the increasing thermal loads associated with higher densities. Data center owners need more efficient cooling units that occupy minimal space, allowing for the addition of more units as density demands increase. High-temperature fluid coolers, which combine the benefits of both a chiller and dry cooler, are well-suited to meet the demands of densification. Vertiv’s CoolLoop Trim Cooler exemplifies this approach by offering a platform that can adapt to a wide range of supply and return water temperatures, making it ideal for evolving data center needs.

The scalability of these cooling solutions is also a significant advantage. As data center workloads grow and thermal demands increase, scalable cooling systems like the CoolLoop Trim Cooler can be expanded or upgraded to maintain efficiency and reliability. The air-cooled version of the CoolLoop Trim Cooler provides up to 3MW of cooling in a compact frame, significantly increasing cooling capacity by over 40% without expanding the physical footprint. This adaptability ensures that data centers can continue to operate efficiently, even as their computational demands intensify. Implementing such advanced cooling technologies allows data centers to maintain high performance and reliability while supporting increased densification.

Heat Recovery and Sustainability

The Role of Higher Temperatures in Heat Recovery

One significant advantage of higher temperatures is their role in heat recovery and reuse. As energy consumption rises due to high-performance computing and ongoing digitalization, operators face increasing pressure to reduce their carbon footprint. Capturing and reusing waste heat for secondary applications, such as district heating, allows operators to align with sustainability and circular economy goals. By leveraging higher operating temperatures for effective heat recovery, data centers can significantly reduce their environmental impact.

George highlights that future heat recovery and reuse strategies will be driven by more relevant metrics that better reflect energy efficiency and sustainability goals. The integration of chilled water systems is instrumental in capturing and utilizing waste heat effectively. These systems transfer thermal energy generated during data center operations for reuse in secondary applications, reducing reliance on external energy sources. This process not only supports sustainability initiatives but also contributes to overall energy efficiency. As a result, adopting chilled water technology aligns with both operational efficiencies and broader environmental objectives.

Emerging Metrics for Energy Recovery

The industry is moving beyond traditional metrics like Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) to variants that consider energy recovery. Energy Reuse Effectiveness (ERE) and Heat Recovery Efficiency (HRE) are emerging as crucial measures of a data center’s energy performance. ERE focuses on the amount of energy recovered, while HRE measures the efficiency of waste heat capture and utilization. Higher HRE values indicate greater efficiency in using waste heat, and chilled water systems are central to achieving these metrics.

Chilled water systems enable effective heat recovery by capturing thermal energy generated during operation and transferring it for reuse. This capability not only reduces energy consumption but also supports broader sustainability goals. Additionally, the use of very low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants in chilled water systems further minimizes their environmental impact and helps operators comply with regulations on direct CO2e emissions. By embracing these advanced cooling technologies, data centers can improve their energy performance metrics and contribute to global sustainability efforts. This holistic approach to cooling and energy management underscores the critical role of chilled water systems in the future of data center operations.

Preparing for the Future – Looking Ahead

The Complexity of Future Data Centers

The future of data centers is defined by complexity due to the rapid pace of change in the IT industry. Rising thermal loads, AI integration, increased density, and the push for sustainability are reshaping the industry. Cooling systems must evolve to meet these challenges, balancing performance with environmental responsibility. The dynamic nature of technological advancements necessitates adaptable solutions that can accommodate the continuous evolution of data center requirements. Thus, forward-thinking cooling strategies are essential for ensuring long-term operational viability.

Chilled water solutions are poised to play a pivotal role in supporting the evolution of data centers. Their inherent flexibility and efficiency make them suitable for managing diverse cooling demands. These systems can seamlessly integrate with hybrid cooling strategies, providing a robust framework for addressing elevated temperatures and rapidly changing thermal loads. As data center operators strive to meet environmental targets, the ability of chilled water systems to facilitate heat recovery and energy efficiency becomes increasingly important. Embracing these advanced cooling technologies is essential for future-proofing data centers against emerging challenges and regulatory requirements.

Investing in Advanced Chilled Water Technology

Data centers are swiftly transforming, driven by cutting-edge developments in artificial intelligence (AI), increasing thermal densities, and the pressing need for stringent sustainability standards. Traditional air cooling methods are proving to be inadequate in addressing these evolving requirements. To bridge this gap, Vertiv™ is leading the charge, innovating with chilled water solutions that deliver versatile and efficient cooling tailored for the needs of modern data centers.

As AI continues to advance, data centers must handle the associated rise in heat output. This is where Vertiv™’s chilled water solutions come in, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional air cooling. These systems use water to transfer heat away from servers, offering improved efficiency and the ability to manage higher thermal loads. They are designed to integrate seamlessly into existing data center infrastructure, making the transition smooth and straightforward.

Sustainability is another critical factor driving this shift. By reducing the energy demand associated with cooling, Vertiv™’s solutions help data centers achieve their environmental goals.

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