What’s All This About Liquid Cooling in Data Centers?

The rise of machine learning has put some wind behind liquid cooling in data centers. We decided to spend July taking a closer look at the trend and answering some big questions surrounding it. Here's everything that we've learned.

August 13, 2018

2 Min Read
Row of liquid-cooled TPU 3.0 pods inside a Google data center
Row of liquid-cooled TPU 3.0 pods inside a Google data centerAlphabet/Google

If liquid is so much better for cooling than air, why hasn’t it been adopted more broadly in data centers? Is ML the only thing driving the growth in adoption, or are there other applications? Is liquid cooling always more efficient than air cooling? At what point does air no longer cut it, period? Once the decision to go with liquid cooling is made, how is the data center team affected? Who’s innovating in the liquid-cooling space?

The rise of machine learning has put some wind behind liquid cooling in data centers. We decided to spend July taking a closer look at the trend and answering some big questions surrounding it.

Here’s everything we learned:

So, You Want to Go Liquid – Here’s What Awaits Your Data Center Team - Yes, in some cases you’ll need gloves and aprons, but once you get some practice with liquid, it may provide a more comfortable working environment.

When Air No Longer Cuts It: Inside Google’s AI-Driven Shift to Liquid Cooling - The company’s latest AI processors drove its data center power density to unprecedented levels.

Five Reasons Data Center Liquid Cooling Is on the Rise - Liquid cooling is poised to make its way into more data centers. Here’s why.

Liquid Cooling Can Lower Data Center PUE, But That’s Not Its Main Draw - Experts agree that liquid cooling can produce energy savings, but power density is what drives companies to use it

Liquid Cooling Vendors Eyeing the Edge Data Center Market - These companies can’t wait for the edge computing “floodgates” to open.

Four Startups – Four Liquid Cooling Designs for Data Centers - These companies are innovating on the decades-old method for cooling computers.

Bitcoin Drove a Surge in Immersion Cooling Sales, But GRC is Eyeing More Stable Markets - Nearing its 10-year anniversary, the company formerly known as Green Revolution Cooling has yet to foment a revolution

Five Barriers to Adoption of Liquid Cooling in Data Centers - The rise of machine learning is driving adoption of liquid cooling, but the switch from air to liquid isn’t simple.

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