Liquid cooling specialists LiquidStack has launched a new Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) for high density, high-powered data center environments. The company introduced the GigaModular CDU, what it calls the industry’s first modular, scalable CDU, the system offers up to 10MW cooling capacity.
The 10 MW capacity it’s for the entire data center. That may seem excessive, but data center power density has been growing almost exponentially in the era of ultra dense AI servers. Microsoft and other data center providers have been talking about data center racks topping one MW in power draw for just one rack. Just a few years ago the average rack was 150 kW.
The system is a single-phase, direct-to-chip liquid cooling heat capable of handling loads from 2.5MW to 10MW. Direct-to-chip means a cooled liquid is piped into the server to a hot plate connected to the CPU or GPU. The liquid cools the hot plate and is then pumped out to be recirculated and cooled down before returning via a continuous loop.
The CDU is serviceable from the front of the unit, with no rear or end access required, allowing the system to be placed against the wall. The skid-mounted system can come with rail and overhead piping pre-installed or shipped as separate cabinets for on-site assembly.
The single-phase system has high-efficiency dual pumps designed to protect critical components from leaks and a centralized design with separate pump and control modules reduce both the number of components and complexity.
“AI will keep pushing thermal output to new extremes, and data centers need cooling systems that can be easily deployed, managed, and scaled to match heat rejection demands as they rise,” said Joe Capes, CEO of LiquidStack in a statement. “With up to 10MW of cooling capacity at N, N+1, or N+2, the GigaModular is a platform like no other—we designed it to be the only CDU our customers will ever need. It future-proofs design selections for direct-to-chip liquid cooling without traditional limits or boundaries.”
LiquidStack will begin taking orders for GigaModular CDU by September 2025.
Source:: Network World