IT-agnostic DLC systems: key considerations

Although adoption of direct liquid cooling (DLC) has received an unexpected boost from dense AI computing, practices around how to design, build and operate DLC systems at scale are still maturing. In discussions between Uptime Institute and data center operators, a recurring topic is how best to support all liquid-cooled IT equipment (predominantly using water cold plates) with a single, shared DLC infrastructure.

A single approach for liquid cooling would be beneficial to operators: in its lifetime, a data center facility may see several overlapping IT hardware technology cycles from numerous different vendors. To enable liquid cooling for generic infrastructure use, facilities will need to maintain a single, standard approach within a facility and accommodate hardware from different IT vendors in the same fluid loop.