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Data center operators weigh liquid cooling as AI boosts chip heat
Nortek Data Center Cooling says liquid cooling runs as a closed loop, so it reuses coolant rather than increasing water use, while many sites keep combining liquid and air cooling.
AI is driving demand for more powerful GPUs and CPUs that generate more heat than prior chip generations, pushing data centers to rethink cooling approaches, according to Bisnow.
Nortek Data Center Cooling chief technology officer Thomas Steen said traditional air cooling systems cannot remove heat fast enough to sustain expected performance, making liquid coolant systems a key alternative for removing heat from chips.
Steen also addressed common concerns about water use, saying liquid cooling is typically a closed-loop system that constantly reuses contained fluid instead of taking on more water.
He added that liquid cooling is not a full replacement for air, with data centers often using a mix of liquid to handle the main chip heat and air cooling for other rack electronics, and that liquid systems may require customization because racks can differ in expected flow rate and temperature.