Direct liquid cooling: pressure is rising but constraints remain

Direct liquid cooling (DLC) is a collection of techniques that removes heat by circulating a coolant to IT electronics. Even though the process is far more efficient than using air, the move to liquid cooling has been largely confined to select applications in high-performance computing to cool extreme high-density IT systems. There are a few examples of operators using DLC at scale, such as OVHcloud in France, but generally DLC continues to be an exception to the air cooling norm. In a survey of enterprise data center operators in the first quarter of 2022, Uptime Institute found that approximately one in six currently uses DLC (see Figure 1).

Figure 1. Many would consider adopting DLC

Uptime Institute Intelligence believes this balance will soon start shifting toward DLC. Renewed market activity has built up around DLC in anticipation of demand, offering a broader set of DLC systems than ever before. Applications that require high-density infrastructure, such as high-performance technical computing, big data analytics and the rapidly emerging field of deep neural networks, are becoming larger and more common. In addition, the pressure on operators to further improve efficiency and sustainability is building, as practical efficiency gains from air cooling have run their course. DLC offers the potential for a step change in these areas.