LiquidStack, Data Center Liquid Cooling Ascendance, and the 1 MW CDU
Amid anticipation for the long-awaited NVIDIA Blackwell GPU, liquid cooling was among the days' key topics for the entirety of the Data Center Frontier Trends Summit (Sept. 4-6), and with it came a curious blend of anticipation and incredulity at the rapidly normalizing prospect of the 1 megawatt (MW) rack. Schneider Electric Solution Architect Vance Peterson, himself an expert in data center cooling architectures and CDUs, was among those who admitted that this incipient behemoth may in the end require a form factor deeper than the standard 19-inches to contain the volume of GPUs for AI computing, odds-on hailing from NVIDIA.
Schneider Electric is both a key technology partner of NVIDIA's and a purveyor of AI data center reference designs, so this assertion was telling. When the 1 MW rack again reared its head in the course of discussion, every member of the DCF Trend Summit's "Future of AI Design: Power Cooling and Chip Considerations" keynote panel concurred with Peterson.
With the specter of the 1 MW rack thus well in view, a sense of affirmation came attached with LiquidStack's announcement in August of the availability of its CDU-1MW, a high-performance Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) designed to be universally compatible with commercial direct-to-chip (DTC) liquid cooling solutions. Now available for immediate shipment worldwide, LiquidStack says its CDU-1MW system is built for advanced computing applications such as generative AI, large language models (LLMs) and HPC, while addressing a critical market need by helping alleviate CDU supply constraints in the direct-to-chip liquid cooling segment.
Industry analyst firm Omdia recently noted that the availability of CDUs has lately been limited due to production capacity constraints. As data center adoption of liquid cooling scales, demand for standardized, DTC-optimized CDUs is also accelerating significantly. This is the reality that informs the value proposition of LiquidStack’s CDU-1MW system. As a liquid cooling solution innovatively designed to effectively cool high-performance workloads while decreasing energy consumption, the universal CDU-1MW is ETL, CSA, and CE certified, and fully third-party load tested.
With 1,350kW cooling capacity geared for hyperscalers, colocation services companies, and large-scale enterprises seeking to implement DTC solutions as they shift to hybrid cooling, LiquidStack says the CDU's blend of superior thermal management, enhanced performance and interoperability characteristics ensure seamless integration, energy efficiency and reduced operational costs for deployers.
Joe Capes, CEO of LiquidStack, commented, “Our company has been designing, manufacturing and servicing complex liquid to liquid heat exchange systems at scale for over a decade. With the ability to deliver products anywhere in the world from our US-based manufacturing facility, and our capability to provide mission-critical service response times in all major global markets, LiquidStack has quickly taken a leadership position in the direct-to-chip liquid cooling market.”
The CDU-1MW platform's user-friendly interface provides for an intuitive programmable logic controller (PLC) and monitoring tools for easy management and oversight. With N+1 redundancy, the unit offers hot swappable dual VSD pump operation, top and bottom stainless steel piping kits, and optional temperature, pressure, flow meter, and expansion tank redundancy.
Airedale by Modine Also Launches 1MW Cooling Distribution Unit
The CDU is the key component of any liquid cooling system, isolating facility water systems from the IT equipment and distributing coolant fluid to where it is needed in the server or rack. And as a critical technology enabler for liquid and hybrid liquid and air cooling systems that manage next-generation IT applications including AI, the 1 MW CDU is definitely reflective of a trend.
In confirmation of that assertion, critical cooling specialist Airedale by Modine, a brand of diversified industrial Modine (NYSE: MOD), in September also announced the launch of a coolant distribution unit to meet increasing demand for high-performance, high-efficiency cooling infrastructure in the global data center industry.
Airedale by Modine's CDU is suitable for both colocation and hyperscale data center providers seeking to manage higher density IT heat loads. Delivering up to 1MW of cooling capacity and operational at supply temperatures of up to 30°C (86°F) in a secondary water loop system and 26°C (79°F) in a primary loop structure, the company says its CDU offers the same quality and high energy efficiency associated with the brand's other cooling solutions.
"The CDU is a core part of our strategy to provide a complete range of products, software, and service capabilities for the data center industry," said Eric McGinnis, President, Modine Climate Solutions. "While the market for traditional air cooling products in data centers is set to continue its growth trajectory, liquid cooling will start to enter the market as an additional growth area."
McGinnis added, "At Modine, we believe that many operators will adopt a hybrid cooling approach, with liquid cooling technology complimenting air-based systems to target pockets of higher-density IT loads. The CDU is a critical component in these kinds of cooling systems and we're excited to bring it to market."
Modine is a global company headquartered in Racine, Wisconsin with operations in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The company says it is growing its global data center offering across products, software, service and a manufacturing footprint. The new CDU expands on Airedale by Modine equipment offered throughout the data center thermal chain with air, liquid, and hybrid cooling systems.
"Modine's investment in developing CDUs advances our strategy to expand our global data center product offering and capture market opportunities that help us achieve our long-term growth targets," said Neil Brinker, President and CEO of Modine. "This technology strengthens Modine's position in the rapidly growing data center liquid cooling market, providing our customers with advanced solutions to support the next generation of high-density, accelerated computing applications, such as generative artificial intelligence and machine learning."
LiquidStack's New Manufacturing, Global HQ Facility Scales LC, Benefits Local Community
Known in the industry for its single-phase and two-phase immersion cooling systems and MacroModular and MicroModular prefabricated data centers, which bring liquid immersion cooling to edge applications, LiquidStack notes its technology is developed via direct engagement with the world’s largest data centers and chip manufacturers, and manufactured in the U.S. at the company's plant in in Carrollton, Texas. Opened last March, the company characterized the new plant as essential to meeting the high demand for its expanded technology offering led by its new universal CDUs for direct-to-chip liquid cooling, as well as its single and two phase immersion, and modular offerings.
“We are seeing incredibly high demand for liquid cooling globally as a result of the introduction of ultra-high TDP chips that are driving the scale and buildout of generative AI. Our investment in this new facility allows us to serve the rapidly growing market while creating new, high-skilled jobs right here in Carrollton,” said LiquidStack CEO Capes.
In operation since December 2023, LiquidStack's Carrollton, Texas manufacturing facility and headquarters occupies over 20,000 square feet. The company said it is "aggressively hiring" production staff with plans to more than triple the size of its current manufacturing team by the end of this year. LiquidStack recruiters have been participating in career fairs at local colleges and universities throughout the year.
“As one of the safest communities in the country, Carrollton offers a high level of diversity, amenities, jobs and housing, which made it the perfect site for LiquidStack to build its state-of-the-art, high-efficiency manufacturing center and headquarters,” said Dan Walker, Plant Manager, LiquidStack. “I made the Dallas/Ft. Worth area my home many years ago, and know first hand that we have the local expertise, talent, and reliability to achieve LiquidStack’s goals.”
LiquidStack Secures $20M Investment from Tiger Global
The data center thermal management market has seen extraordinary growth in response to the unprecedented levels of power and cooling equipment required to support high performance computing and AI. Industry research firm Dell’Oro Group declared that data center liquid cooling will enter the mainstream this year, with a market value projected to surge to $15 billion over the next five years.
In September, LiquidStack announced its securing of a $20 million Series B extension investment from Tiger Global to bring liquid cooling to AI data centers, bringing the company’s total Series B funding round to $35 million. The full service liquid cooling provider said it will use the funds to expand its manufacturing footprint, scale its direct-to-chip and immersion cooling product family roadmaps, and broaden its commercial and R&D operations.
The company said it is planning to expand its direct-to-chip CDU roadmap to align with the thermal trajectory of GPU and CPU chips. Additionally, LiquidStack said it will continue to invest in its two phase and single phase solutions to support use cases in which holistic liquid cooling is more suitable than hybrid approaches.
“Liquid cooling has reached a pivotal moment in its trajectory, and the support of Tiger Global is a testament to the unique benefits LiquidStack’s technology and approach offers the market,” concluded LiquidStack CEO Capes. “This new round provides a funding pathway for LiquidStack to fulfill its ambition as a full service liquid cooling provider and continue to offer the highest quality and most reliable liquid cooling products and services to meet customer needs.”
Matt Vincent
A B2B technology journalist and editor with more than two decades of experience, Matt Vincent is Editor in Chief of Data Center Frontier.
