Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning have not only become hot topics but are also redefining the technical and operational requirements of data centers, particularly due to the challenges associated with increasing power density and processing capacity. For example, we have seen how the thermal densities of chips, servers, and racks continue to increase, reaching up to 100 kW per rack.
When we say that we are experiencing unprecedented acceleration due to AI, we are talking about the fact that in the next five years, data center growth in Latin America is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of over 7.95% according to Research and Markets. To handle these AI workloads, operators need to upgrade critical infrastructure in order to support much higher capacity processing in the same physical space, and this is where liquid cooling comes into play.
Liquid cooling is setting the standard
Liquid cooling not only improves thermal efficiency, but it also has a positive impact on energy consumption, sustainability, taking advantage of the higher heat transfer properties of water and other fluids to efficiently and cost-effectively cool high-density racks.
There are many benefits to using liquid cooling, from energy efficiency - as liquid cooling is 80% more efficient than traditional solutions - to reducing the carbon footprint. A commitment to sustainability becomes both an environmental advantage as well as an operational necessity. This does not mean that air cooling will disappear, but rather that we will see more and more operators using a hybrid environment.
Liquid cooling is available in a variety of configurations, including rear-door heat exchangers (RDHx), direct-to-chip cooling, and immersion cooling, to effectively cool CPUs and GPUs. These options can increase the efficiency and reliability of your data center, and reduce the total cost of ownership.
The age of artificial intelligence is here, and as a result, we have seen the adoption of liquid cooling grow steadily. The liquid cooling market is estimated to reach $14.81 billion by 2029, growing at a compound annual rate of 25.44%. This efficient high-density liquid cooling technology is a necessity for adoption of AI.
At Vertiv, we offer our technical expertise and a broad portfolio of future-friendly technologies to help you implement liquid cooling to support your AI applications. Click here to learn more.
