Data center cooling is already a massive challenge, if not, the primary challenge for data centers. Now we want to bring 10-100GWs into these facilities. Thermal management architect is going to be the next Solidity developer. Heat densities exceeding 50 kW per rack will push cooling systems to their limits  already accounting for roughly 40% of a data center's energy consumption. The imperative for energy efficiency is clear, as every watt saved in cooling translates to significant operational cost reductions and improved environmental performance. For instance, improving cooling efficiency by 20% in a 10 MW data center could save approximately $1 million annually in energy costs. Moreover, effective thermal management is crucial for maintaining optimal AI hardware performance, as even brief thermal excursions can trigger throttling, potentially reducing compute speed by 30-50%. We will deploy direct liquid cooling systems, two-phase immersion cooling, and direct-to-chip liquid cooling.

Opportunities

Direct liquid cooling systems

Two-phase immersion cooling

Direct-to-chip liquid cooling

Others

• Electrochemical Additive Manufacturing (ECAM): An advanced 3D printing technique that uses electrochemical reactions to deposit materials layer by layer. This technology enables the production of complex metal structures with high precision and potentially unique material properties. ECAM is valuable for creating intricate cooling components, such as micro-channel heat exchangers, that can significantly enhance thermal management in high-performance computing and AI systems. See Fabric8.
• Rear-door heat exchangers: Cooling units attached to the back of server racks, using liquid coolant to remove heat from the air exiting the servers. This technology provides targeted cooling at the rack level, improving energy efficiency and allowing for higher power densities in data centers. Its value lies in its ability to retrofit existing air-cooled data centers with liquid cooling capabilities without major infrastructure changes.
• Evaporative cooling towers: Uses the principle of water evaporation to remove heat from a coolant stream. As warm water is exposed to air, some of it evaporates, cooling the remaining water. This technology is valuable for its energy efficiency in rejecting heat to the environment, particularly in dry climates, and can significantly reduce the energy consumption of data center cooling systems.
• Phase change materials for thermal energy storage: Phase change materials (PCMs) absorb or release large amounts of energy during their phase transition (e.g., from solid to liquid). In cooling applications, PCMs can absorb heat during peak load periods and release it during off-peak times. This technology is valuable for load shifting, improving energy efficiency, and providing thermal buffering in data centers and other high-heat environments.
• Thermoelectric cooling for targeted heat removal: Uses the Peltier effect to create a temperature difference across a semiconductor device. When current flows through the device, one side becomes cool while the other becomes hot. This technology is valuable for precise, localized cooling of specific components in electronic systems, allowing for targeted thermal management without the need for fluid circulation.
• Micro-channel liquid cooling: Involves the use of very small channels (typically less than 1mm in diameter) to circulate coolant directly through or very close to heat-generating components. This technology allows for extremely efficient heat transfer due to the high surface area-to-volume ratio of the channels. It's valuable in high-performance computing and AI applications where traditional cooling methods struggle to keep up with increasing power densities.
• Nanofluids for enhanced heat transfer: Coolants that contain suspended nanoparticles, typically metals or metal oxides. These nanoparticles significantly enhance the thermal conductivity and heat transfer capabilities of the base fluid. The technology is valuable in improving the efficiency of liquid cooling systems, potentially allowing for smaller heat exchangers or lower coolant flow rates while maintaining or improving cooling performance.
• Magnetic refrigeration systems: Uses the magnetocaloric effect, where certain materials change temperature when exposed to a changing magnetic field. This technology has the potential to provide cooling without the use of refrigerants, potentially offering higher energy efficiency and lower environmental impact compared to traditional vapor-compression refrigeration. Its value lies in the possibility of developing more sustainable and efficient cooling systems for various applications, including data centers.