Iceotope launches data centre liquid cooling lab

Designed to revolutionise high-density data centre research and testing capabilities for customers seeking to deploy liquid cooling solutions, Iceotope Labs sets a new standard as the industry's most advanced liquid-cooled data centre test environment available today.

Amid the exponential growth of AI and machine learning, liquid cooling is rapidly becoming an enabling technology for AI workloads. As operators evolve their data centre facilities to meet this market demand, validating liquid cooling technology is key to future-proofing infrastructure decisions.

By leveraging advanced monitoring capabilities, data analysis tools, and a specialist team of test engineers, Iceotope Labs will provide quantitative data and a state-of-the-art research and development (R&D) environment to demonstrate the benefits of liquid cooling to customers and partners seeking to utilise the latest advancements in high-density infrastructure and GPU-powered computing. Examples of recent research conducted by Iceotope Labs includes groundbreaking testing for next-gen chip-level cooling at both 1500W and 1000W . These tests demonstrated Precision Liquid Cooling’s ability to meet the thermal demands of future computing architectures needed for AI compute.

Working in partnership with Efficiency IT, a UK specialist in data centres, IT and critical communications environments, the first of Iceotope’s bespoke labs showcases the adaptability and flexibility of leveraging liquid cooling in a host of data centre settings including HPC, supercomputing and edge environments. The fully functional, small-scale liquid-cooled data centre includes two temperature-controlled test rooms and dedicated space for thermal, mechanical and electronic testing for everything from next-generation CPUs and GPUs to racks and manifolds.

Iceotope Labs also features a facility water system (FWS) loop, a technology cooling system (TCS) loop with heat exchangers, as well as an outside dry cooler – demonstrating key technologies for a complete liquid-cooled facility. The two flexible, secondary loops are independent of each other and have a large temperature band to stress-test the efficiency and resiliency of a customers' IT equipment if and when required. Additionally, the flexible test space considers all ASHRAE guidelines and best practices to ensure optimal conditions for a range of test setups for enhanced control and monitoring all while maximising efficiency and safety.

"We are investing in our research and innovation capabilities to offer customers an unparalleled opportunity," said David Craig, CEO of Iceotope. “Iceotope Labs not only serves as a blueprint for what a liquid-cooled data centre should be but is also a collaborative hub for clients to explore liquid cooling solutions without the need for their own lab space. It's a transformative offering within the data centre industry."

David continued, “We’d like to thank Efficiency IT for their role in bringing Iceotope Labs to fruition. Their design expertise has empowered us with the flexibility needed to create a cutting-edge facility that exceeds industry standards."

“With new advancements in GPU, CPU and AI workloads having a transformative impact on both data centre design and cooling architectures, it’s clear to see that liquid cooling will play a significant role in improving the resiliency, energy and environmental impact of data centres,” said Nick Ewing, MD, EfficiencyIT. “We’re delighted to have supported Iceotope throughout the design, development and installation of its industry-first Iceotope Lab, and look forward to building on our collaboration as together, we develop a new customer roadmap for high-density, liquid-cooled data centre solutions.”

Located at Iceotope's global headquarters in Sheffield, UK, Iceotope Labs further expands the location as a hub for technology innovation and enables Iceotope to continue to deliver the highest level of customer experience.