The future of cooling technology
Data centers are the backbone of digitalization. Enormous energy and environmental costs are the price to be paid for the rapidly growing demand for digital infrastructure. Traditional air-cooled systems are reaching their limits - both in terms of efficiency and environmental impact. Liquid cooling has emerged as a breakthrough solution to overcome these challenges while creating a more sustainable future.
Why Liquid Cooling?
The increasing demands placed on data centers by technologies such as AI, IoT and cloud services require powerful servers that generate more heat than ever before. Liquid cooling is far more efficient than conventional air cooling, as it absorbs and dissipates heat directly at the source - the chips. This method offers numerous advantages:
Higher energy efficiency: Liquid cooling significantly reduces energy consumption by replacing complex ventilation and cooling systems and also making the heat generated usable. Cooling alone accounts for 40% of the energy requirements of a conventional data center.
Better use of space: systems can be built more compactly, which is particularly important in urban areas or where space is limited.
Sustainable waste heat utilization: The heat can be reused for heating purposes in buildings, which significantly improves the carbon footprint.
Support from politics and industry
The EU and national governments such as Austria are increasingly focusing on sustainable data centers in order to achieve climate targets. Liquid cooling is recognized as a key technology as it drastically reduces energy consumption and uses waste heat efficiently. Leading companies such as Intel and META also emphasize that liquid cooling is necessary to cope with the increasing demands on computing power while reducing costs and environmental impact. The industry expects liquid cooling to become the global standard in the coming years - clear evidence of the future viability of this technology.
The EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED III), which came into force on October 10, 2023, requires data centers above a certain size to disclose detailed information on energy efficiency, water consumption and waste heat use by May 15, 2024 at the latest. This measure aims to increase transparency and promote sustainable development in the ICT sector.
DIGGERS as innovation leader
DIGGERS recognized the potential of liquid cooling early on and uses this technology in its climate-neutral data centers. The company's patented cooling technology maximizes efficiency and reduces energy consumption and CO₂ emissions by up to 80 %. With their ability to recover 98% of heat, DIGGERS data centers actively contribute to sustainable energy use. A single DIGGERS box can generate enough heat to heat three single-family homes for a year and can be installed flexibly at the exact location where the heat is needed.
Article written by Nicolaus Stangl/ ROCKETS Investments GmbH