Two-phase liquid immersion cooling could help unlock massive performance gains.
Traditionally, data centers operated by cloud providers like AWS, Azure and Google Cloud have relied on air conditioning and liquid cooling to keep servers and other equipment from overheating. However, these cooling methods are inefficient, expensive and resource-intensive. And this is especially true in the context of facilities located in tropical climates (e.g. Hong Kong or Singapore), which are locked in a constant battle with the environment. Over the last few years, attention has turned to developing new systems that can cool data centers more effectively, and in a more sustainable manner. Although a few different techniques show promise, one in particular stands out: two-phase liquid immersion. Under this system, server racks are completely submerged in tanks of non-conductive fluid. As the hardware starts to generate heat under load, the fluid begins to boil and rise to the top of the tank. In the second phase of the process, a condensing coil returns the gas to liquid, which drops back into the chamber below – and so the cycle continues. Leading the charge in this space is a company called LiquidStack, which offers immersion tanks for a variety of rack sizes. Although its technology is not yet used widely, it’s beginning to attract the interest of some of the world’s largest hyperscalers. “Change is always difficult in the data center industry; the sector is risk-averse and slow to move,” said Joe Capes, LiquidStack CEO, in conversation with TechRadar Pro. “But I predict we’ll see the first large-scale cloud facility using only two-phase immersion within the next twelve months.” Founded in 2012, LiquidStack began life under a different identity entirely: Allied Control Ltd. At the time, the ambition was to build the first ever Bitcoin mining data center in Hong Kong, back when the cryptocurrency was trading at just $13 per unit. Having dismissed all available cooling methods on the grounds of cost, Allied Control was forced to develop a technique of its own in collaboration with a company called 3M, which now manufactures the fluid used in LiquidStack immersion tanks. In other words, liquid immersion began as a means to an end, a utility in the quest to achieve a separate objective. But over the last few years, the novel cooling technology has become the primary focus. Although Allied Control still believes the crypto sector represents a major addressable market, the company took the decision to pivot last year to focus on high performance computing (HPC), the data center and the edge. As part of this process, the firm rebranded as LiquidStack. Asked about the rationale behind the change of name and direction, Capes explained the team had identified emerging opportunities on which it was well-positioned to capitalize.
