The advantages of liquid cooled server

liquid cooled server, with their advantages of efficient heat dissipation, energy saving, and noise reduction, are becoming the core infrastructure in the era of high-density computing power. Compared to traditional air cooling, it has achieved comprehensive upgrades in performance, energy efficiency, and reliability, especially suitable for high-power scenarios such as AI training and high-performance computing.
1、 Significant improvement in heat dissipation efficiency
Liquid cooling utilizes the much higher thermal conductivity and specific heat capacity of liquids compared to air (water has a thermal conductivity 25 times that of air), allowing for efficient heat exchange through direct contact with heat sources such as chips. Cold plate liquid cooling is bonded to CPU/GPU through a metal cold plate, with a single-chip heat dissipation capacity of up to 500-800W/cm ²; Immersion liquid cooling immerses the entire machine in insulating coolant, with a heat dissipation efficiency of over 1000 times that of air cooling, effectively avoiding frequency reduction caused by overheating.
2、 Significantly reduce energy consumption and PUE
Liquid cooling systems can significantly reduce or even eliminate the use of fans, lower server power consumption, and achieve efficient cooling through natural cooling sources such as low-temperature water. The PUE (Power Usage Efficiency) of data centers can be reduced to below 1.1, with some advanced cases even reaching 1.05. For example, the fully immersed liquid cooling solution of Youke De reduces the PUE to less than 1.1, which is significantly more energy-efficient than traditional air cooling (PUE 1.5-2.0). Spray type liquid cooling can also reduce energy consumption by about 40%, providing green support for the "East West Calculation" project.
3、 Run quieter and improve the operation and maintenance environment
Due to the removal of high-speed fans or a significant reduction in their speed, the operating noise of liquid cooled server has significantly decreased. The noise level of the fully immersed liquid cooled machine room can be as low as 25dB or below, equivalent to a soft whisper; The noise level during full load operation of cold plate liquid cooling is generally below 60dB, which is close to the library environment. This allows data centers to be deployed near office areas, breaking through space limitations.
4、 Improve equipment stability and lifespan
Liquid cooling can control the temperature fluctuation of chips within ± 1 ℃, and the working temperature is about 20 ℃ lower than air cooling, significantly reducing the damage of thermal stress to components. Google's actual test shows that the failure rate of liquid cooled server has decreased by 40%, and Alibaba Cloud's Hangzhou data center has reduced the failure rate by 50% after adopting submerged liquid cooling. Meanwhile, the fanless design eliminates mechanical vibration and extends equipment lifespan by 20-30%.
5、 Support higher computing power density and space utilization
Liquid cooling technology can support a single cabinet power density exceeding 100kW, far exceeding the 5-15kW level of air cooling. Under the same computing power scale, the number of cabinets can be reduced by 50% -70%, greatly improving the utilization of data center space. For example, after the renovation of a certain operator's data center, the power of a single cabinet increased from 5kW to 45kW, achieving a green breakthrough.
6、 Enhance sealing and environmental adaptability
Immersion and spray liquid cooling systems are highly sealed to isolate dust, moisture, and corrosive gases, reducing equipment contamination and the risk of malfunctions. In addition, liquid cooling is not affected by altitude and air pressure, and can still maintain efficient heat dissipation performance in high-altitude areas, with a wider range of applications.