Partnership Enhances Cooling Technologies for Data Centers

News Summary

Austin-based Accelsius has teamed up with the University of Texas at Arlington to innovate cooling technologies for data centers. The COOLERCHIPS initiative aims to significantly reduce energy waste related to cooling systems. Accelsius’s expertise in two-phase, direct-to-chip liquid cooling will be utilized to tackle increasing energy inefficiencies, ensuring operational efficiency in data centers amid rising temperatures and demand for computing power.

Austin – An innovative partnership is taking shape between Austin-based Accelsius and the University of Texas at Arlington (UT-Arlington) aimed at transforming cooling methodologies for data centers. The collaboration focuses on enhancing chip cooling technologies, a critical need as data centers face growing energy inefficiencies and rising operating temperatures.

Accelsius, noted for its expertise in two-phase, direct-to-chip liquid cooling technologies, is joining forces with UT-Arlington under a federal project supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) program. This initiative, dubbed COOLERCHIPS, intends to minimize the cooling energy consumption to below 5% of a data center’s IT load, optimizing operational efficiency.

The research is being spearheaded by Dereje Agonafer, a professor at UT-Arlington, who is leading efforts to develop groundbreaking cooling solutions. With the increasing demand for computing power, the temperature of chips is a growing concern, particularly with the advancements in artificial intelligence that require higher performance without compromising reliability.

The Challenges of Data Center Cooling

According to Accelsius, data centers are notorious for operating with vast energy inefficiencies, with cooling alone accounting for approximately 40% of energy usage being effectively wasted. Josh Claman, CEO of Accelsius, has highlighted air cooling as a notably ineffective method in large data centers, where significant energy is lost in the cooling process. This inefficiency has drawn scrutiny from communities for its impact on energy costs, strain on electrical grids, and extensive water usage.

Community backlash has been vocal against the proliferation of data centers, with a report revealing that around $64 billion in data center developments have faced stoppages primarily due to local opposition. Concerns have arisen regarding the high energy costs associated with cooling and the environmental impact stemming from excessive water usage.

Exploring Hybrid Cooling Infrastructure

Accelsius is actively working on creating a hybrid cooling infrastructure designed to enhance energy efficiency while mitigating the risks associated with traditional water-based cooling systems. Such water systems are prone to leaks, which can result in costly damages to high-value servers, estimated at around $400,000 each. The potential for disruption and financial losses extends to rack setups, which can range between $3.5 million and $5 million depending on the configuration.

Through the COOLERCHIPS initiative, Accelsius aims to position its two-phase, direct-to-chip technology as an industry standard, aiming for wider adoption due to its promise of more efficient cooling solutions. The company has also launched two products to the market, including a newly developed multirack 250 kilowatt two-phase coolant distribution unit specifically for the UT-Arlington project.

A Focus on Objective Evaluations

To bolster the credibility of these new technologies, Claman has underscored the importance of objective evaluations and third-party experimentation. These measures are pivotal in demonstrating the effectiveness and reliability of the technologies being developed, ensuring that data centers can adopt new cooling methods with confidence.

This partnership between Accelsius and UT-Arlington represents a forward-thinking approach to resolving the challenges faced by data centers, particularly the need for enhanced cooling systems that are both efficient and environmentally responsible. With traditional cooling methods under scrutiny, the urgency for innovative solutions in the data center industry has never been greater.

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Additional Resources

• Austin American-Statesman
• Wikipedia: Data Center Cooling
• KXAN
• Google Search: Accelsius Cooling Technology
• CBS Austin
• Google Scholar: Accelsius Data Center Cooling
• Bloomberg
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Data Center Energy Efficiency
• Axios
• Google News: Accelsius and UT Arlington Collaboration