CoolIT: Leading the Pack on Liquid Cooling
As hyperscalers, supercomputing operators, and advanced enterprises globally rush to modernize and expand operations, CoolIT has emerged as a key partner for data center cooling – providing efficient, reliable solutions that have been proven in the market for 20 years.
Liquid cooling – once the target of skepticism across a data center industry that balked at its complexity and didn’t need it yet – has exploded on the data center scene as one of the key enablers of heavy AI workloads. During the OCP Summit 2024, new liquid cooling entrants could be seen in every direction. And what’s more, established players in other parts of data center infrastructure have begun planting liquid cooling flags.
It’s more than apparent that the opportunity is gargantuan. But there are few liquid cooling players that come to this data center modernization party with 20 years of expertise. CoolIT is one of them.
I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to sit down during OCP Summit with Charles Robison, Director of Marketing for CoolIT Systems, to learn more about this critical player in the AI - data center landscape.
From Chips to Data Centers
CoolIT’s liquid cooling tech has its roots in making cooling chips for high-performance gaming platforms. This foundational knowledge of chip-level cooling enabled the company to quickly pivot when data center demand began to skyrocket.
Today, CoolIT’s offerings include cold plates and advanced cooling loops designed to support Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs).
But as Charles highlighted, its core offering is cold plate technology, which targets hotspots on chips, delivering focused cooling where it’s needed most, ensuring systems operate optimally even under high workloads.
Why the Focus on Direct Liquid Cooling
In the liquid cooling industry, various methods are available, including immersion cooling and rear-door heat exchangers. CoolIT focuses on single-phase direct liquid cooling (DLC) because it is proven, reliable, and scalable. With liquid cooling technologies tested across generations of servers from brands like HPE and Dell, CoolIT’s cold plates stand out for their reliability. Single-phase DLC is particularly effective for handling high thermal design power (TDP) in modern chips, including hot spots that require targeted cooling. By focusing on DLC, CoolIT addresses both the demand for scalable solutions and the ability to cool today’s high-powered chips.
While CoolIT recognizes the value of other cooling approaches, such as immersion cooling, DLC remains the most feasible option for wide-scale deployment. As Robinson explained, “Our technology has been through multiple generations… it’s a proven technology and a scalable technology.” This commitment to proven solutions ensures data center operators have reliable and consistent performance, a necessity in an industry where operational continuity is crucial.
CoolIT’s reputation as an end-to-end provider has been bolstered by their ability to cover every aspect of data center cooling. They supply a full suite of products, from cold plate loops that deliver direct cooling to chips, to Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs) that manage the overall cooling flow. This comprehensive approach ensures that customers receive a streamlined solution, custom-tailored to their needs – making CoolIT’s systems a reliable choice in a high-stakes environment where consistency is paramount.
Charles aptly pointed out that when Jensen Huang of NVIDIA announced liquid cooling as the future of data centers, it marked a turning point for the liquid cooling segment. Once confined to high-performance computing (HPC) and academia, it is now erupting onto the data center infrastructure scene as a solution that significantly enhances energy efficiency.
“Liquid cooling has crossed the chasm; it’s now a mainstream approach,” Charles said.
With their single-phase direct liquid cooling, data centers can handle AI-driven workloads that push conventional cooling to its limits.
Quality. Service. Support.
“Quality, as they say, is job one,” Charles said, explaining CoolIT’s top priorities.
Reliability is at the center of CoolIT’s approach. The cooling systems they produce are meticulously designed, using technologies like friction stir welding to create a single, molecular-level fusion of cold plates. This construction minimizes the potential for leaks, ensuring longevity and reliability. CoolIT employs rigorous quality control, from inspecting incoming parts to conducting end-of-line testing. Every system is tested before it leaves the factory, guaranteeing that clients, including major server manufacturers like Dell and HPE, receive a flawless product.
Beyond the product itself, CoolIT offers a comprehensive service network covering more than 70 countries, ensuring seamless deployment and ongoing support. CoolIT assists customers at every stage, from design consultation to installation and commissioning, making it easy for operators to integrate liquid cooling into their existing data centers.
“So you want to figure out how to design?” Charles said. “We'll help you with that. Would you like to install it? Yep. We've got an installation team that will come in. And we'll put together a secondary fluid network if you need…We'll help you figure that out. We'll commission it. So we'll put the fluid in and we'll actually get it running.”
Scaling for Growth
Looking into 2025 and beyond, the demand for liquid cooling will only increase as data centers handle denser and more complex workloads. CoolIT has invested significantly in expanding their production capabilities, scaling up by 25 times to meet the growing demand. This capacity enables CoolIT to handle both brownfield deployments – where liquid-to-air CDUs can be introduced to existing data centers – and greenfield projects that require a more comprehensive cooling solution from the ground up.
The scale of CoolIT’s investment in production reflects the growth potential they see in the market. As Robinson noted, “We certainly see just a massive deployment of liquid cooling… we have multi-gigawatt manufacturing capacity within our shop.” This preparation positions CoolIT as a capable partner for any data center operator looking to future-proof their infrastructure against the demands of tomorrow’s computing workloads.
Educating the Industry and Pioneering Change
To ease the industry’s shift toward liquid cooling, CoolIT emphasizes education and industry collaboration. As a founding member of the Liquid Cooling Coalition, CoolIT is committed to informing operators, policymakers, and the broader industry about the benefits and applications of liquid cooling. Through these initiatives, CoolIT hopes to normalize the adoption of liquid cooling, fostering an industry-wide shift toward more efficient, sustainable practices.
So what’s the TechArena take? I’m so grateful to Solidigm and our Data Insights series for opening the door to this delightful discussion. As for CoolIT, in short, they are rocking liquid cooling. Their solutions have proven themselves in one of the most demanding environments — data centers powering AI. And while this space is nascent and has more promise than volume deployments, as we head into the second half of the decade, we at TechArena are expecting a hockey stick ramp for this segment of the industry. We also are keen to see how CoolIT leverages this massive opportunity towards financial returns. Listen to the full podcast here.
As hyperscalers, supercomputing operators, and advanced enterprises globally rush to modernize and expand operations, CoolIT has emerged as a key partner for data center cooling – providing efficient, reliable solutions that have been proven in the market for 20 years.
Liquid cooling – once the target of skepticism across a data center industry that balked at its complexity and didn’t need it yet – has exploded on the data center scene as one of the key enablers of heavy AI workloads. During the OCP Summit 2024, new liquid cooling entrants could be seen in every direction. And what’s more, established players in other parts of data center infrastructure have begun planting liquid cooling flags.
It’s more than apparent that the opportunity is gargantuan. But there are few liquid cooling players that come to this data center modernization party with 20 years of expertise. CoolIT is one of them.
I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to sit down during OCP Summit with Charles Robison, Director of Marketing for CoolIT Systems, to learn more about this critical player in the AI - data center landscape.
From Chips to Data Centers
CoolIT’s liquid cooling tech has its roots in making cooling chips for high-performance gaming platforms. This foundational knowledge of chip-level cooling enabled the company to quickly pivot when data center demand began to skyrocket.
Today, CoolIT’s offerings include cold plates and advanced cooling loops designed to support Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and Original Design Manufacturers (ODMs).
But as Charles highlighted, its core offering is cold plate technology, which targets hotspots on chips, delivering focused cooling where it’s needed most, ensuring systems operate optimally even under high workloads.
Why the Focus on Direct Liquid Cooling
In the liquid cooling industry, various methods are available, including immersion cooling and rear-door heat exchangers. CoolIT focuses on single-phase direct liquid cooling (DLC) because it is proven, reliable, and scalable. With liquid cooling technologies tested across generations of servers from brands like HPE and Dell, CoolIT’s cold plates stand out for their reliability. Single-phase DLC is particularly effective for handling high thermal design power (TDP) in modern chips, including hot spots that require targeted cooling. By focusing on DLC, CoolIT addresses both the demand for scalable solutions and the ability to cool today’s high-powered chips.
While CoolIT recognizes the value of other cooling approaches, such as immersion cooling, DLC remains the most feasible option for wide-scale deployment. As Robinson explained, “Our technology has been through multiple generations… it’s a proven technology and a scalable technology.” This commitment to proven solutions ensures data center operators have reliable and consistent performance, a necessity in an industry where operational continuity is crucial.
CoolIT’s reputation as an end-to-end provider has been bolstered by their ability to cover every aspect of data center cooling. They supply a full suite of products, from cold plate loops that deliver direct cooling to chips, to Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs) that manage the overall cooling flow. This comprehensive approach ensures that customers receive a streamlined solution, custom-tailored to their needs – making CoolIT’s systems a reliable choice in a high-stakes environment where consistency is paramount.
Charles aptly pointed out that when Jensen Huang of NVIDIA announced liquid cooling as the future of data centers, it marked a turning point for the liquid cooling segment. Once confined to high-performance computing (HPC) and academia, it is now erupting onto the data center infrastructure scene as a solution that significantly enhances energy efficiency.
“Liquid cooling has crossed the chasm; it’s now a mainstream approach,” Charles said.
With their single-phase direct liquid cooling, data centers can handle AI-driven workloads that push conventional cooling to its limits.
Quality. Service. Support.
“Quality, as they say, is job one,” Charles said, explaining CoolIT’s top priorities.
Reliability is at the center of CoolIT’s approach. The cooling systems they produce are meticulously designed, using technologies like friction stir welding to create a single, molecular-level fusion of cold plates. This construction minimizes the potential for leaks, ensuring longevity and reliability. CoolIT employs rigorous quality control, from inspecting incoming parts to conducting end-of-line testing. Every system is tested before it leaves the factory, guaranteeing that clients, including major server manufacturers like Dell and HPE, receive a flawless product.
Beyond the product itself, CoolIT offers a comprehensive service network covering more than 70 countries, ensuring seamless deployment and ongoing support. CoolIT assists customers at every stage, from design consultation to installation and commissioning, making it easy for operators to integrate liquid cooling into their existing data centers.
“So you want to figure out how to design?” Charles said. “We'll help you with that. Would you like to install it? Yep. We've got an installation team that will come in. And we'll put together a secondary fluid network if you need…We'll help you figure that out. We'll commission it. So we'll put the fluid in and we'll actually get it running.”
Scaling for Growth
Looking into 2025 and beyond, the demand for liquid cooling will only increase as data centers handle denser and more complex workloads. CoolIT has invested significantly in expanding their production capabilities, scaling up by 25 times to meet the growing demand. This capacity enables CoolIT to handle both brownfield deployments – where liquid-to-air CDUs can be introduced to existing data centers – and greenfield projects that require a more comprehensive cooling solution from the ground up.
The scale of CoolIT’s investment in production reflects the growth potential they see in the market. As Robinson noted, “We certainly see just a massive deployment of liquid cooling… we have multi-gigawatt manufacturing capacity within our shop.” This preparation positions CoolIT as a capable partner for any data center operator looking to future-proof their infrastructure against the demands of tomorrow’s computing workloads.
Educating the Industry and Pioneering Change
To ease the industry’s shift toward liquid cooling, CoolIT emphasizes education and industry collaboration. As a founding member of the Liquid Cooling Coalition, CoolIT is committed to informing operators, policymakers, and the broader industry about the benefits and applications of liquid cooling. Through these initiatives, CoolIT hopes to normalize the adoption of liquid cooling, fostering an industry-wide shift toward more efficient, sustainable practices.
So what’s the TechArena take? I’m so grateful to Solidigm and our Data Insights series for opening the door to this delightful discussion. As for CoolIT, in short, they are rocking liquid cooling. Their solutions have proven themselves in one of the most demanding environments — data centers powering AI. And while this space is nascent and has more promise than volume deployments, as we head into the second half of the decade, we at TechArena are expecting a hockey stick ramp for this segment of the industry. We also are keen to see how CoolIT leverages this massive opportunity towards financial returns. Listen to the full podcast here.
