Our world is full of data and this exponential growth has led to a huge increase in the number of data centers and the rack capacity within these facilities. With cooling systems often consuming around 50% of a data center’s total energy, the need for more efficient solutions is greater than ever.
Traditional air cooling methods are becoming insufficient to handle the thermal load of modern high-density data centers. With rack densities expected to rise above 100 kW per rack, liquid cooling is the only viable solution to cool these high-performance servers.
Liquid cooling enables higher computing densities, optimizing space utilization and costs. By choosing different liquid cooling methods, including immersion cooling and Direct-to-chip coolingOrganizations can benefit in many ways.
While liquids currently account for about 20% of the global data center cooling market, they are expected to grow at a CAGR of 24%, according to data from Stratview Research.
Data center operators in India rely on sustainable liquid cooling technologies
Market study: Liquid cooling in Indian data centers
When it comes to examining the potential impact of liquid cooling on data centers, India is an interesting example. The country Estimated data center capacity of 1,030 MW is expected to increase to over 5,000 MW by 2030.
Many of India’s data centers are concentrated in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata. Given these growth projections, a proactive liquid-ready approach is required for the Indian data center market.
Given the enormous water shortage in India, data center operators are relying on sustainable water management practices and water-saving cooling technologies.
Notable examples of data center liquid cooling initiatives in India include:
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The Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (NTT), one of the three largest data center service providers worldwide, has liquid immersion cooling used (LIC) and Direct Contact Liquid Cooling (DCLC) technologies in India. This is the first time that these technologies have been deployed in a manufacturing environment in the country. This deployment has resulted in approximately 30% improvement in energy efficiency.
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Yotta Groupone of the leading Indian data center operators, also claims that Indian data centers with PUE between 1.5 and 1.6 can reduce the PUE to 1.1 by using liquid cooling methods.
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Equinix will now deploy liquid cooling in 100 data centers worldwide, including in India. The company has also started building its future data centers that are suitable for liquid cooling methods.
Liquid cooling – a necessity in India’s growing digital world
India’s digitalization wave is driving a massive expansion of data center capacity. The rapid adoption of cutting-edge technologies in the country, including AI, blockchain, augmented reality and virtual reality, also requires higher rack density in data centers, which in turn significantly increases heat loads.
AI data center racks can consume up to seven times more power than traditional data center racks, highlighting the urgent need for far more efficient cooling solutions.
As data centers continue to grow exponentially and environmental concerns take center stage, the Indian data center liquid cooling market is poised to witness robust growth. It is forecast to grow at over 25% in the coming years and reach over $300 million in revenue by 2030.
In this rapidly evolving environment, liquid cooling is not just a technological improvement but a critical component in ensuring sustainable and efficient operations of India’s future data centers.
Chandana Patnaik is a senior content writer at Stratview Research.
