Schneider Electric is teaming up with Avnet and Iceotope to develop a new cutting-edge liquid cooling solution for data centres. 

Thanks to the demand for AI, IoT and Big Data, data centres around the world are cramming in more and more GPUs into their set-ups. The only problem with that is that traditional air cooling often isn’t enough to prevent the GPUs from overheating, meaning data centre operators are increasingly interested in liquid cooled solutions. 

That’s what led Schneider Electric to partner with Avnet and Iceotope, with the three firms set to combine forces to develop chassis-level liquid cooling. Avnet will provide the technology integration services, Iceotope will bring the chassis-level immersion cooling technologies, while Schneider Electric brings its data centre infrastructure solutions to the table. 

“Compute intensive applications like AI and IoT are driving the need for better chip performance. Our quantitative analysis and testing of liquid cooling approaches shows significant benefits to the market,” said Kevin Brown, CTO and SVP of Innovation, Secure Power, Schneider Electric.

 “This partnership is the next step in solution development and we are excited to be working with Avnet and Iceotope.”

For years, liquid cooling has been rare in the data centre market, despite being a popular option for consumer PCs. In fact, most data centres that utilise liquid cooling are either owned by one of the tech giants, such as Google, or have been designed to house research and development supercomputers. 

Despite their rarity, using liquid cooling in a data centre has some significant upsides. The key one is that the environmental impact of liquid cooling is generally lower than that of air cooling, especially considering it’s far more efficient. Not only that, but data centre operators should see significant cost savings on their energy bills. Additionally, liquid cooling is silent, takes up less space and should require less maintenance; all factors that contribute to 11% 20-year Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings, according to Schneider Electric.

“Iceotope is delighted to work with Schneider and Avnet on a solution that delivers on the promise of liquid cooling,” said David Craig, CEO of Iceotope. 

“Working with great partners that share the same passion for innovation, solution focused thinking and quality is a pleasure. Our ability to bring our IP to combined solutions that manage the pressing challenges of chip density, energy and water consumption, space and location challenges and the ever more complex issues relating to harsh environment and climate will be game changing in the industry.”