AirTrunks Research on Liquid Cooling in Data Centres

The surge in demand for AI-powered applications is transforming data infrastructure at an unprecedented pace. Data centres are the backbone of this digital revolution, but with AI workloads rapidly increasing, traditional cooling methods are struggling to keep up. Enter AirTrunk’s latest research into liquid cooling – a technology poised to redefine the way data centres are designed and operated.

Why Liquid Cooling?

As AI adoption accelerates, data centres must handle increased heat generated by high-density GPU servers. Traditional air-cooling systems can only manage a limited power density per rack, typically up to 15 kW. However, modern AI workloads are pushing this requirement beyond 40 kW per rack, necessitating a more effective cooling solution. Liquid cooling emerges as the key to managing this shift by efficiently dissipating heat in a way that air cooling cannot.

AirTrunk’s Vision for Liquid Cooling

Since 2019, AirTrunk has invested heavily in liquid-cooling innovation, resulting in more than 20 MW of liquid-cooled capacity deployed across its data centres, including a pioneering project in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. Their research predicts that within the next few years, 30-60% of new data centre loads supporting AI will be liquid-cooled.

AirTrunk’s approach focuses on hybrid solutions that balance energy efficiency with the operational risks of integrating liquid-cooled systems. Their projects demonstrate how liquid cooling can reduce energy consumption and improve Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), a crucial metric for data centre sustainability.

The Benefits of Liquid Cooling

1. 1. Superior Heat Dissipation: Liquid has higher thermal conductivity than air, making it more effective in maintaining optimal operating temperatures.
   2. Energy Efficiency: Liquid cooling operates effectively at higher temperatures, reducing the need for mechanical refrigeration and saving energy.
   3. Space Optimization: It supports higher GPU density in data halls, allowing data centres to maximize their computational power within the same footprint.
   4. Sustainability: With the potential for heat reuse in industrial processes, liquid cooling offers significant environmental benefits.

Challenges and Future Outlook

Despite the clear benefits, the adoption of liquid cooling poses challenges, including the need for new skills and risk management strategies. AirTrunk emphasizes the importance of collaboration between industry stakeholders to develop standards and best practices that will accelerate the rollout of this technology.

In the coming years, AirTrunk plans to scale their liquid-cooling capacity further while continuing to innovate with hybrid heat rejection systems and next-generation cooling fluids.

Visibuild’s Role in the Future of Data Centre Quality

At Visibuild, we recognise the critical role that quality assurance plays in pioneering innovations like liquid cooling. As data centres evolve, Visibuild’s digital solutions will support compliance in these new cooling systems, ensuring that they meet industry standards and customer expectations.

The future is clear: liquid cooling will become a cornerstone of sustainable data centre operations, with Visibuild currently leading the Australian data centre construction industry as the trusted compliance and management platform.

About AirTrunk

AirTrunk is a hyper-scale data centre specialist creating a platform for cloud, content and large enterprise customers across the APJ region.

For more information on AirTrunk, visit airtrunk.com

You can find AirTrunk’s full report on Liquid Cooling in Data Centres here.