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That’s the challenge data centres and AI providers face today. As GPUs and CPUs grow denser and more power-hungry, traditional air cooling simply can’t handle the heat. The solution? Liquid cooling – a smarter, more efficient way to manage thermal loads and unlock the next level of compute performance.
What Is Liquid Cooling and Why It Matters
Liquid cooling uses fluid instead of air to transfer heat away from components. Since liquids are far better at carrying heat, servers can run faster, more reliably and more sustainably. This shift is transforming how data centres operate, enabling higher compute density and dramatically lower energy consumption.
The Two Leading Approaches
1. Direct-to-Chip (D2C): Smart, Scalable Efficiency
D2C systems circulate coolant directly through cold plates attached to processors and GPUs. It’s an elegant solution for existing facilities wanting a high-performance upgrade without a full infrastructure overhaul.
Innovators like LMTEK, through its EK line of water blocks and rack-level solutions, are leading this space, creating precision-engineered systems built for the demands of modern AI workloads.
2. Immersion Cooling: The Future in a Tank
Immersion systems take a different direction, submerging entire servers in dielectric fluids that safely dissipate heat. This approach delivers unmatched energy efficiency and density.
Here, Castrol’s ON immersion fluids and Submer’s SmartPod systems form a powerful combination, offering proven reliability, easy scalability, and reduced operational costs. To complete the ecosystem, Formerica’s immersion-ready optical cables and transceivers ensure connectivity stays seamless, even when servers are fully submerged.
Together, these technologies represent the next generation of sustainable, high-performance computing infrastructure.
The Challenge
AI models are exploding in complexity, requiring racks that consume hundreds of kilowatts each. Air cooling systems struggle with this density, leading to overheating risks, excessive energy use and rising operational costs.
The Solution: Liquid cooling. It allows data centres to:
- Run hotter hardware safely and efficiently
- Reduce energy consumption and PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness)
- Enable heat reuse for sustainable operations
- Future-proof facilities for next-gen AI workloads
It’s not just an upgrade; it’s a fundamental shift in how we power the AI era.
How Boston Limited Makes It Simple
Transitioning to liquid cooling doesn’t have to be complex. Boston Limited delivers end-to-end liquid cooling solutions – helping you choose between direct-to-chip or immersion cooling, and integrating trusted technologies from Castrol, Submer, LMTEK and Formerica into one cohesive system.
From design and deployment to maintenance and warranty support, Boston ensures every stage is handled seamlessly, letting you focus on performance while we handle the engineering.
Whether you’re building a new AI data centre or upgrading existing infrastructure, Boston Limited helps you deploy liquid cooling the right way – safely, efficiently and sustainably.
FAQs
1. What’s the difference between direct-to-chip and immersion cooling?
Direct-to-chip targets heat at the component level (e.g., CPUs/GPUs), while immersion cooling submerges the entire server in a dielectric fluid for maximum efficiency.
2. Can I retrofit liquid cooling into my existing data centre?
Yes. Many D2C solutions from vendors like LMTEK are designed for incremental adoption without a full infrastructure overhaul.
3. Are immersion fluids safe for electronics?
Absolutely. Fluids like Castrol ON are dielectric, meaning they don’t conduct electricity, so hardware remains fully protected.
4. How does liquid cooling help sustainability goals?
By significantly reducing fan and chiller power use, and enabling heat reuse for other facility needs, liquid cooling lowers overall energy consumption and carbon footprint.
5. How can Boston Limited help my organisation get started?
Boston offers consultation, system design, deployment and full lifecycle support – making it easy to implement the right liquid cooling solution for your environment.