DLC introduces challenges at all levels of data center commissioning. Some end users accept CDUs without factory witness testing — a significant departure from the conventional commissioning script
Uptime Intelligence’s predictions for 2025 are revisited and reassessed with the benefit of hindsight.
Meeting the stringent technical and commercial standards for UPS energy storage applications takes time and investment — during which Li-ion technology keeps evolving. With Natron gone, will ZincFive be able to take the opportunity?
Data4 needed to test how to build and commission liquid-cooled high-capacity racks before offering them to customers. The operator used a proof-of-concept test to develop an industrialized version, which is now in commercial operation.
Competition for grid power is increasing; data center operators need to use reserved grid power responsibly — to support business objectives, maintain strong relationships with authorities and avoid negative publicity.
A bout of consolidation and investment activity in cooling systems in the past 12 months reflects widespread expectation of a continued spending surge on data center infrastructure.
Performant cooling requires a full-system approach to eliminate thermal bottlenecks. Extreme silicon TDPs and highly efficient cooling do not have to be mutually exclusive if the data center and chip vendors work together.
Uptime's 2025 cooling survey found that fewer respondents cited sustainability as a primary driver for direct liquid cooling (DLC). Gradual advancement of DLC plans may be refining operator understanding of its incentives.
Superconducting busbars could offer a solution for delivering power to high-density racks, eliminating resistive heating and removing the need to shift to medium voltage distribution equipment.
AI is changing how data centers operate, what began with algorithmic fine-tuning of chilled-water plants is now moving into the IT side of operations, closer to the load. But will operators ever trust AI enough to let it run the room?
Currently, the most straightforward way to support DLC loads in many data centers is to use existing air-cooling infrastructure combined with air-cooled CDUs.
Liquid-cooled colocation capacity remains niche, but demand is likely to grow. Colocation providers planning capacity for DLC need to address novel questions about individual tenant needs, operations and SLAs.
Operators looking for low-carbon power may be assessing low-carbon hydrogen for standby or primary power. Except for niche applications, the technology is a long way from practicality.
From on-prem AI to high-density IT, this webinar examined survey findings on how operators are preparing for what's next.
Most operators do not trust AI-based systems to control equipment in the data center - this has implications for software products that are already available, as well as those in development.
Jacqueline Davis
Andy Lawrence
Daniel Bizo
Peter Judge
Dr. Tomas Rahkonen
Dr. Rand Talib
Max Smolaks