The discourse around liquid cooling technology has spiked in recent years, with a notable increase in the number of serious client discussions regarding liquid cooling design within legacy and new data halls.
It is clear from IT technology vendor projections that TDPs will rise beyond the level at which air cooling can manage the thermal load. Pockets of high density compute will augment traditional server workloads. Furthermore, the liquid cooling solution of choice will require air cooling to support its implementation in the high density heat load spaces and as such “hybrid” cooling systems, comprising a mix of air and liquid cooling technology, will become commonplace.
This whitepaper considers the application of hybrid cooling in data centers, specifically legacy and new build colocation facilities, with a focus on the following topics:
• The rationale behind the introduction of liquid cooling into data centers.
• What is a hybrid data center?
• The benefits of a hybrid cooling solution that encompasses both air and liquid cooling.
• The optimum architecture for introducing liquid cooling into legacy air-cooled data centers.
• The role of controls within a hybrid data center.
• The benefits and risk factors of single water loops and dual water loops.
• The benefits of a liquid cooling only solution and when this might be preferable.
• Recommendations.
