The digital infrastructure landscape is growing rapidly. This growth is being several factors. These include the exponential rise in data and the growing adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). At the same time, data centres are also facing increasing pressure to meet stringent sustainability goals.
Cooling, which was once an operational consideration in data centre design, has now become a strategic focus. Operators are increasingly grappling with increasing heat loads, hybrid environments and the need to balance performance with efficiency. Chilled water solutions are emerging as a vital technology to help meet these challenges. Implemented correctly, they offer a flexible, efficient and future-ready approach to cooling.
Understanding the pressures on today’s facilities
As workloads evolve, so do the demands on data centre infrastructure. AI applications are now a cornerstone of many organisations’ digital strategies, requiring vast computational resources. These applications generate significantly higher heat loads than traditional IT workloads, creating an urgent need for innovative cooling strategies.
At the same time, data centres are becoming denser, as operators strive to optimise physical space by packing more computing power into smaller footprints. This densification increases heat output per square metre, placing established air cooling methods under considerable strain. When coupled with growing regulatory and market pressures to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon footprints, it’s clear that the status quo in cooling technology is no longer sufficient.
Next-generation chip technology is advancing at such a rapid pace that the working temperature thresholds for liquid cooling are expected to keep rising. However, the range of potential outcomes is so wide that accurately forecasting future requirements has become increasingly difficult. This creates a risk for operators; as a result, determining the precise water temperature needed from the cooling system, becomes both a challenge and a potential risk for hyperscale and colocation data centre owners. Misjudging these requirements could lead to inefficient cooling strategies, increased energy consumption, and even potential damage to critical IT equipment – while also resulting in infrastructure investments that may not meet future demands.
Why high temperature fluid cooling systems are the solution
High temperature fluid coolers are uniquely equipped to address the challenges of high-density, hybrid data centres. Unlike traditional cooling methods, which are often limited in their ability to scale with rising thermal demands, chilled water technology provides a level of flexibility and efficiency that is unmatched.
These systems are designed to work well in hybrid environments, where air cooling can be supplemented by liquid cooling solutions such as cold plates and immersion cooling. Or, conversely, where air supplements the next generation of facilities’ design primarily for liquid cooling. This versatility allows operators to optimise their approach based on specific workloads, increasing both reliability and energy efficiency.
Higher operating temperatures to reduce the need for cooling
One of the most significant changes in the cooling landscape is the shift toward higher operating temperatures. Until now, data centres have been kept cool to maintain IT equipment reliability. However, as the industry moves toward greater efficiency, this approach is being reconsidered.
Higher operating temperatures reduce the energy needed for cooling and open the door to innovative heat recovery applications. Facilities are increasingly looking to capture waste heat and repurpose it, whether for district heating or to support industrial processes. This transition requires cooling systems that can perform efficiently under these new conditions.
Chilled water systems are particularly well-suited to this challenge. Their ability to operate at elevated temperatures without sacrificing efficiency makes them a cornerstone of efficient data centre design. This aligns with emerging metrics like energy reuse effectiveness (ERE) and heat recovery efficiency (HRE), which prioritise energy recovery alongside consumption. ERE measures the total energy recovered, while HRE looks at the percentage of waste heat that is effectively captured and used by the recovery system. A higher HRE signifies better efficiency in harnessing waste heat.
The role of hybrid cooling in high-density environments
The shift to high-density data centres presents more significant thermal management challenges than ever before. As computing power is concentrated into smaller spaces, heat generation rises significantly, requiring cooling solutions that can scale alongside these demands.
Hybrid cooling strategies – combining air and liquid cooling – are proving effective at managing these conditions. Chilled water systems form the backbone of this approach, providing the flexibility to address both baseline and high-intensity cooling needs. For example, air cooling can handle standard loads. At the same time, liquid cooling systems can manage hot spots created by AI workloads or other intensive applications.
This hybrid approach not only enhances cooling efficiency but also helps operators to optimise energy use, tailoring their solutions to the specific needs of different workloads.
Intelligent controls: a game-changer for efficiency
But cooling isn’t just about hardware. The role of intelligent control systems in optimising performance is also crucial. These systems allow all components within a cooling network – chillers, pumps, and air handling units – to work together seamlessly.
The latest and most innovative chilled water systems are equipped with advanced control platforms that monitor workloads and adjust cooling output dynamically. This capability is especially important in hybrid environments, where cooling demands can shift unpredictably. Intelligent controls enable operators to maintain efficiency, reliability and uptime, even as conditions evolve.
Looking ahead: sustainability and heat recovery
Sustainability is no longer a ‘nice to have’ for data centres; it is a business imperative. With energy demands soaring, operators must find innovative ways to reduce their environmental impact. Heat recovery is emerging as a powerful solution, enabling facilities to repurpose waste heat for secondary applications.
Chilled water systems are integral to these efforts. By capturing thermal energy during the cooling process, operators can reduce reliance on external energy sources. This not only lowers operational costs but also supports broader sustainability goals, such as reducing carbon emissions and contributing to a circular economy.
Building for the future
The demands on data centres are only going to grow. AI workloads, densification and sustainability pressures will continue to reshape the industry, requiring operators to rethink how they design and manage their facilities. Cooling systems must be able to adapt to these changes, balancing performance with energy efficiency and environmental responsibility.
A future-ready chiller should incorporate:
Ability to work at higher water temperature
Supporting varying return water and leaving temperatures from the more traditional applications working with water at 17-27°C, to more advanced ones where supply and return water temperatures can reach up to 40 – 50°C and more. As cooling requirements evolve, this ability to be flexible is essential for accommodating future technologies, including AI and high-performance computing.
Scalable Design and Adaptability
Capable of operating efficiently across a wide range of external temperatures and compact enough to manage increased densification in facilities.
Sustainability Features
Using refrigerants with very low Global Warming Potential (GWP), approaching near-zero values, to significantly reduce environmental impact and help with compliance with both current and future regulatory standards for refrigerant use. Also using waste heat recovery to support the digital economy.
Energy Efficiency
Offering improved operational performance compared to standard chillers, reducing energy consumption through advanced technologies such as free cooling, and improving consistently low partial Power Usage Effectiveness (pPUE).
Operational Reliability
Maintaining 100% reliability even during peak operational demands, enabling robust performance and providing strategic flexibility for diverse applications.
By addressing these critical areas, data centres will be able to support the changing needs of modern facilities. As cooling requirements continue to evolve, it’s impossible to say definitively what will be needed in future. The key to success is to deploy cooling systems available today that can cope with future demands, as well as contribute to a more sustainable and energy-efficient world.
- Data & AI
- Infrastructure & Cloud
