· Researchers predicted the liquid cooling market will reach $1.8 billion by 2027.
· Difficulty retrofitting immersion systems remain a concern for potential investors.
· Immersion cooling is the only liquid solution offering 100% heat capture.
What is immersion cooling?
Immersion cooling is a liquid cooling solution where computer equipment is submerged in coolant to regulate its temperature. It is the only liquid cooling technique that offers a 100% heat capture solution.
Two kinds of immersion cooling
Immersion cooling strategies take two forms: single-phase and dual-phase (also known as two-phase). These terms refer to how many states of matter are involved in the cooling process. The methods can be distinguished from one another by the boiling and condensation processes utilized in dual-phase systems.
Single-phase solutions are comparatively easy to set up. After ensuring all intended components are impermeable to the coolant liquid, servers can be submerged vertically in a tank and left alone outside of occasional maintenance.
Dual-phase solutions introduce additional processes which cause the coolant to undergo a change in its state of matter. In these systems, heat from the computer processors boils the coolant liquid until it evaporates, resulting in faster and more efficient temperature displacement. The vapor is then piped to condenser coils to bring the coolant back into its liquid state, and it reenters the server rack to repeat the process.
The challenges of immersion cooling
Despite the host of advantages immersion cooling holds over other liquid strategies, it does introduce additional operational considerations. Holland Barry, SVP and field CTO at Cyxtera, told Silverlinings’ Diana Goovaerts that immersion cooling solutions "are not impossible but hard to retrofit" within existing data centers. He specifically raised concerns surrounding drainage and exhaust, which retrofitters may struggle to accommodate in legacy systems.
There have also been some health concerns associated with the PFAS-based liquids used in two-phase systems today, though vendors are working to develop new, safer coolant liquids.
The future of immersion cooling
Service providers like Asperitas are currently enjoying exponential growth in public interest as artificial intelligence drives more compute-heavy workloads which use high-power processors. Dell’Oro researchers predicted the liquid cooling market will reach $1.8 billion by 2027.