On 23 August 2024, Ian MacLaughlan, the JAPAC Regional Head of IT Infrastructure at Rittal, delivered a keynote speech at the 'Korea Cloud & Data Center Convention' held at Samsung Coex.

MacLaughlan emphasised that Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC), once considered a niche solution for specific high-performance cooling needs, has now become a critical component in data centre thermal management, especially with the rise of artificial intelligence (AI). He stated,

"DLC is no longer a niche technology. As more data centres adopt AI-based workloads, those equipped with DLC will secure a competitive edge."

MacLaughlan highlighted the rapid growth of global power demand due to AI advancements and the subsequent pressure on data centre cooling solutions. With 90% of the world's data generated in the last two years, and daily processing volumes reaching an average of 2.5 trillion bytes, the need for scalable data management solutions and cutting-edge infrastructure has never been greater.

The increasing complexity of AI models and the demand for high-performance processors, such as GPUs and Analog Processing Units, have intensified the need for efficient cooling systems. MacLaughlan noted that traditional air-cooling methods struggle to manage the heat loads generated by dense computing environments. He warned that without proper cooling, GPUs could overheat, leading to thermal throttling, performance degradation, and even hardware failures.

Energy efficiency and sustainability were also key points in his speech. MacLaughlan stressed that rising energy costs and concerns about carbon footprints have made efficient cooling systems essential, not just desirable. Implementing energy-efficient cooling solutions can lower operational costs and reduce CO2 emissions, contributing to sustainability goals.

He also pointed out the flexibility of DLC, which can scale to meet the needs of data centres as they expand, without requiring major infrastructure overhauls. MacLaughlan concluded by stating that data centres equipped with DLC will likely secure a competitive advantage in the future, particularly as AI continues to drive innovation and growth in the industry.

Article Citaton: MacLaughlan, I. (2024, August 23). "Direct Liquid Cooling: No Longer a Niche Technology but a Necessity for Sustainable Data Centres." Digital Daily. Retrieved and translated from https://m.ddaily.co.kr/page/view/2024082313492262968.