Electricity and Control April 2025

Energy management + energy e iciency: Products + services

Ensuring efficient cooling for data centres

The global data centre industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, fuelled by the fast- growing demand for data and advanced computing power. Some reports predict that the industry, growing at a compound annual rate of +10%, wiil be worth about USD 517 billion by 2030 [1] . This expansion is driven by transformative technologies like 5G communications and artificial intelligence (AI), which demand higher performance from processors and servers. The demand for high performance computing raises the challenge of eective cooling. Traditional air-cooling systems, reliant on space, energy, and water, are no longer sustainable for

regional climate, dust, and air pollution. “Immersion cooling addresses the operational challenges of traditional systems and aligns with global sustainability goals,“ says Tate. “This makes it a good option for future-ready data centres.“ Despite its advantages, some operators hesitate to adopt immersion cooling due to concerns around handling large volumes of fluids and potential disposal requirements. FUCHS addresses these challenges with its modular services for immersion coolant management. Leveraging decades of experience in chemical process management, it provides tailored solutions covering the full life cycle of immersion coolants, from initial implementation to ongoing maintenance. This ensures that the benefits of immersion cooling are sustained over time. FUCHS has been a trusted supplier of solutions for information technology and telecommunications for decades. Its advanced RENOLIN FECC (Fluids for Electronic Component Cooling) product line, formulated with synthetic base oils and powerful additives, is specifically designed to meet the needs of today’s data centres. RENOLIN FECC products deliver superior cooling performance, reliable dielectric properties, and high breakdown voltage, with zero global warming or ozone depletion potential. The range oers an extended lifespan due to its thermal and oxidation stability, and it is compatible with common electronic components. Beyond the RENOLIN FECC line, FUCHS also provides a wide range of products designed specifically for data centres, including single-phase immersion coolants, direct-liquid-cooling fluids, electronics and systems cleaners, electrical connector greases, and refraction index matching optical gels. As the data centre industry continues to grow, the demand for innovative cooling solutions is high. “With its industry expertise and its commitment to sustainability and innovation, FUCHS is well-equipped to be a global leader in this niche lubricants sector,” says Tate.

Jarryd Tate, FUCHS Lubricants South Africa

hyperscale and co-location data centres. Jarryd Tate, Technical Application Engineer at FUCHS Lubricants South Africa, says, “Immersion cooling has emerged as a groundbreaking solution for managing the escalating cooling demands of today’s powerful processors and servers.” FUCHS Lubricants is at the forefront of this transition. Liquid cooling, long the ‘go-to’ solution for high-performance computing centres, is now becoming a mainstream solution for data centres. Among its forms, immersion cooling stands out as the most capable for handling future challenges. This technology submerges hardware components in specially engineered fluids, delivering unmatched eiciency. Single-phase immersion coolants are attractive due to their zero ozone depletion or global warming potential, alongside simpler designs that reduce operational complexity. Immersion cooling systems lower energy consumption significantly, reduce water usage, and require less maintenance, leading to a decrease in overall operating costs. Immersion cooling systems also contribute to improved uptime, processor performance, server density, and overall power usage eectiveness. Beyond eiciency gains, immersion cooling oers considerable environmental benefits. In facilities where it is used: it lowers the carbon footprint and energy usage as well as enabling waste heat capture and reuse. The design advantages are equally strong, allowing for data centres to eliminate costly chillers, air handlers, and rack fans, and minimise concerns about

Reference [1]. Allied Market Research: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/da ta-center-market-A13117

FUCHS Lubricants is providing innovative cooling solutions to meet the escalating demands for eŒicient cooling in HPC data centres.

20 Electricity + Control APRIL 2025