Future Trends in Liquid Cooling Technology

Nov 7, 2024

Lecture Notes: The Future of Liquid Cooling

Introduction

  • Speaker: Jason Zeiler, Liquid Cooling Product Manager at HPE
  • Topic: Future of liquid cooling and its relevance in enterprise and HPC (High-Performance Computing)

Industry Trends

  • Chip Power Increase:
    • Chips, especially CPUs and GPUs, are increasing in power density.
    • Last 3-4 years: CPUs moved from 200W to 300W, GPUs from 500W to higher.
    • Future GPUs expected to exceed 1000W.
  • Cooling Challenges:
    • Silicon temperature threshold (T-case) is lowering, requiring efficient cooling solutions.

Liquid Cooling Advantages

  • Performance and Efficiency:
    • Liquid cooling provides consistent performance for high-power CPUs and GPUs.
    • Reduces overall power consumption at the rack and data center level.
  • Density:
    • Allows higher density in server racks, potentially reducing the need for larger data centers.

Use Cases and Examples

  • HPE Systems:
    • High-density and exascale systems are already using liquid cooling.
    • Examples include XD2000 servers with up to a 15% reduction in chassis power.
  • Energy and Cost Savings:
    • Significant reduction in cooling costs and CO2 emissions compared to air cooling.
    • Potential savings in operational costs and energy footprint.

Historical Context and HPE's Role

  • Historical Innovations:
    • HPE and partners like Cray have a long history in liquid cooling.
    • Technologies such as cold plates and CDUs have been utilized for decades.
  • Current Offerings:
    • Available liquid-cooled products include ProLiant and XD2000 series.
    • Advanced systems like Cray EX2500 are fully liquid-cooled.

Cooling Technologies Explained

  • Liquid Cooling Systems:
    • Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) captures about 70% of server heat.
    • Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs) manage the liquid cooling process.
  • Alternative Systems:
    • Rear Door Heat Exchangers and ARCS for air cooling solutions.

Future Directions

  • Increasing Rack Power Densities:
    • AI and HPC systems are expected to push towards 60-80 kW racks.
    • Importance of choosing the right cooling technology for efficiency.
  • Market Growth:
    • Co-location data centers and cloud-based solutions are poised for growth.
    • Emphasis on energy-efficient and high-performance rack solutions.

Conclusion

  • Liquid Cooling Adoption:
    • Strategies for integrating liquid cooling, including retrofitting existing data centers and planning new builds.
  • Further Engagement:
    • Speaker available for questions post-presentation.

Note: Visit the HPE booth for hands-on experience with the liquid cooling technologies discussed.