Why Liquid Cooling is The Future of Server Efficiency in AI Data Centres

Why Liquid Cooling is The Future of Server Efficiency in AI Data Centres

Artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) are transforming industries, pushing computing power to new heights. With great power comes great heat, and conventional air cooling methods are hitting their limits. As cooling technology evolves, liquid cooling becomes a game changer for achieving efficiency, energy savings and performance improvements.

What is Liquid Cooling?

Liquid cooling uses a specialised coolant to absorb, transfer, and dissipate heat from computing components. Unlike air cooling, which relies on fans and heat sinks to push hot air away, liquid cooling delivers the coolant straight to the heat source. There are three main approaches:

1. Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling: A cold plate or microchannel system sits directly on the CPU, GPU, or other heat-generating components, allowing the liquid to absorb heat efficiently.
2. Immersion Cooling: Entire servers or components are submerged in a non-conductive liquid that absorbs heat as it circulates, often eliminating the need for traditional fans altogether.
3. Spray Liquid Cooling: Coolant is precisely sprayed onto servers or components, enhancing heat transfer efficiency through targeted application. This method uses a vertical format, requiring less space and floor loading than immersion cooling, while also providing easier access to servers for maintenance and upgrades.

Liquids conduct heat far better than air, making these methods far more effective at managing temperatures, especially under the intense demands of modern computing.

Liquid Cooling Empowers the Future of AI Data Centres

The shift to liquid cooling isn’t just a trend, it’s a necessity driven by today’s computing challenges:

1. Maximising Computing Power: AI and machine learning push CPUs and GPUs to their limits, generating heat that air cooling can no longer handle. Without effective cooling, performance throttles or even hardware fails. Liquid cooling keeps these systems running at peak performance.
2. Enhancing Energy Efficiency: Cooling accounts for 30 - 40% of a data centre’s energy consumption. Liquid cooling slashes this by transferring heat more effectively than air, reducing reliance on power-hungry fans and HVAC systems. This is great news for ESG goals, delivering lower energy bills, a reduced carbon footprint and a boost to sustainability commitments.
3. Saving Space: In space-limited cities like Hong Kong, where retrofitting office buildings for additional air-cooling infrastructure is impractical, liquid cooling enables infrastructure expansion to cater to AI and high-performance computing needs.

Challenges to Consider

Liquid cooling isn’t without its hurdles. In Hong Kong, the technology is still relatively new, and there’s a lack of live demonstrations to showcase its real-world performance. However, these gaps are steadily closing as adoption grows.

Powering Tech with Cool Innovations

HKT is at the forefront of helping corporates and higher education institutions adopt liquid cooling, seamlessly bridging the gap between innovation and implementation. We’re leveraging cutting-edge data centre solutions, including modular racks for rapid deployment, space and energy efficiency, next-generation liquid spray cooling for effective heat management in space-constrained environments, and Lithium-ion UPS power for reliable operations with minimal maintenance. At the HKT Innovation Centre, we’ve set up a live demonstration of these innovations, and we invite you to visit and experience their potential firsthand. It’s more than just the next big thing — it tackles today’s heat challenges and paves the way for a greener, quieter, and more powerful digital future.