Sustainable Cooling Options in Data Centres: Meeting Emerging Needs of Data Storage and AI
In the fast-paced digital age, data centres have become the backbone of modern businesses, powering critical applications, and storing vast amounts of data. However, the exponential growth of data storage and the increasing demand for AI applications have put immense pressure on data centres, leading to significant challenges in managing their cooling needs efficiently. As concerns about environmental sustainability rise, data centres are now exploring innovative cooling solutions to reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions. This blog will focus on two emerging sustainable cooling options - Immersive Cooling and Liquid Cooling - and discuss their potential to address the unique cooling requirements of data centres in Australia.
The Challenges of Cooling Data Centres
Data centres are notorious energy consumers, and cooling constitutes a major portion of their overall energy consumption. As data storage and AI applications continue to expand, the need for more processing power and computational capabilities escalates. Traditional cooling methods, such as air-based cooling, struggle to keep up with the intensifying heat loads, leading to higher energy consumption and operational costs.
Air-based cooling systems lose their effectiveness when rack densities exceed 20 kW, at which point liquid cooling becomes the viable approach. Source: Vertiv Group Corp. (2021). Understanding Data Center Liquid Cooling Options and Infrastructure Requirements.
Emerging Needs in Data Storage and AI
Data storage and AI applications are at the forefront of the digital revolution, revolutionising how businesses operate and make data-driven decisions. The rapid proliferation of data-intensive technologies, like AI and machine learning, has given rise to High-Performance Computing (HPC) workloads, which generate substantial heat. To maintain optimal performance and ensure the longevity of equipment, innovative cooling solutions are paramount.
1. Immersive Cooling: The Future of Sustainable Cooling
Immersive cooling, also known as liquid submersion cooling, is an advanced cooling technique gaining momentum in the data centre industry. This method involves immersing IT components, such as servers and storage devices, directly into a non-conductive liquid coolant, which efficiently absorbs and dissipates the heat generated by these components.
The liquid coolant, usually a dielectric fluid, closely surrounds all sides of the hardware, providing uniform cooling and eliminating hotspots. As a result, the cooling efficiency is significantly higher compared to traditional air-based cooling methods. Moreover, this approach is noiseless and eliminates the need for complex air circulation systems, reducing energy consumption and operating costs.
One of the major advantages of immersive cooling is its eco-friendliness. By enabling data centres to operate at higher temperatures without compromising hardware integrity, it reduces the need for energy-intensive chillers and air conditioning systems. Additionally, the dielectric fluids used in immersive cooling are often non-toxic and non-flammable, posing minimal environmental risks.
2. Liquid Cooling: Efficient and Environmentally Friendly
Liquid cooling is another sustainable cooling option that data centres are increasingly adopting to address their evolving needs. Unlike immersive cooling, liquid cooling involves using a liquid coolant to transfer heat away from the IT components without fully submerging them.
There are two main types of liquid cooling techniques:
a) Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling: In this approach, the liquid coolant flows through microchannels integrated into the server's CPU and GPU components, directly cooling them at the source. This method efficiently dissipates heat, allowing processors to run at higher clock speeds, thereby enhancing overall system performance.
b) Rear Door Heat Exchangers: Rear door heat exchangers are attached to the back of server racks and act as a heat sink, absorbing and removing heat from the exhaust air. This method is less intrusive, making it easier to implement in existing data centre infrastructures.
Liquid cooling offers impressive cooling efficiency, reducing the power needed for cooling by up to 90% compared to traditional air-based methods. This substantial energy savings not only contributes to sustainability efforts but also allows data centres to allocate more power to computing resources.
As data centres in Australia confront the emerging needs of data storage and AI, sustainable cooling options become essential to manage the escalating heat loads and minimise environmental impact. Immersive cooling and liquid cooling have emerged as promising alternatives, providing enhanced cooling efficiency and reduced energy consumption.
By embracing these innovative cooling technologies, data centres can contribute to a greener and more sustainable future while meeting the demands of a data-driven society. As the industry continues to evolve, it is crucial for data centre operators to invest in sustainable cooling solutions that ensure optimal performance, minimise operational costs, and prioritise environmental responsibility.