What is Immersion Cooling?
Immersion cooling, also known as liquid cooling, is a modern and efficient method to maintain today's powerful computer systems within safe temperature limits. With the increasing heat generation in advanced servers, it becomes increasingly important to implement effective cooling systems to ensure optimal operation. Two prominent techniques for high-performance servers in data centers are Direct to-chip-cooling and immersion cooling.
Direct to-chip-cooling involves cooling the server's processors by transporting a refrigerant over them. Immersion cooling means that the entire server rack or individual components are submerged in a specially designed liquid with dielectric properties, meaning it does not conduct electricity. This liquid acts as a refrigerant and circulates around the servers to dissipate and transport away the heat.
Immersion cooling not only enables a significant improvement in performance by reducing Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), a key indicator of a data center's energy efficiency, but also leads to significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. Traditionally, data centers have relied on air cooling, where fans and air conditioning systems are used to dissipate heat from the components. The drawbacks of this method include high energy consumption to maintain optimal temperature. Additionally, air humidification is required to avoid a too dry environment, which can lead to static electricity and potential equipment damage.
The benefits of immersion cooling include effective heat dissipation due to the liquid's high thermal conductivity. By eliminating the need for traditional cooling systems, noise levels are significantly reduced. This technology also contributes to reduced energy consumption, as the liquid requires less energy to keep the system cool compared to air cooling.
Immersion cooling also provides protection against dust, particles, and other contaminants that can affect performance and lifespan. Through constant cooling, thermal stress on electronic components is reduced, contributing to an improved lifespan for the equipment.
This technology is particularly suitable for advanced environments using technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, where traditional air cooling may be limiting and optimal performance and reliability are required.
Immersion cooling is also a key factor in our pursuit of sustainability and energy efficiency here at T.Loop. We are also happy to have chosen Submer who is one of the leaders in this cool :-) technique. The primary reason we have chosen immersion cooling as our method is its ability to reduce energy consumption for cooling production and enable efficient heat recovery. In our case, the recovered heat is directly connected to the property where our data center is located. This means that the heat that would normally be a byproduct and lost is now used to heat the building, increasing overall energy efficiency.
T.Loop aims to contribute to more efficient energy use. By reducing our total energy consumption and effectively utilizing heat recovery, we contribute to creating a more sustainable and environmentally friendly solution for our data centers.