In Many Ways, the Onus on Data Centers has Never Been Greater:

Business success and IT growth are increasingly intertwined. New HPC apps like IoT, AR, and AI are becoming commonplace and driving a shift toward high-heat GPU hardware.

Rack densities are climbing. Temperatures and stress levels are rising as cooling becomes a barrier to growth. At the same time, pressure is mounting to make data centers more energy-efficient and sustainable. The speed of these changes further complicates capacity planning, already a challenge due to budget approvals plus long lead times.

Immersion Cooling is the Solution

Real life offers few silver bullets. But immersion cooling has emerged as the smart, if not the only, way to surmount the main challenges facing today’s data centers.

Just as it suggests, immersion cooling involves fully enveloping servers in a non-conductive fluid that is very effective in dissipating heat.

How Did We Get Here? Simple Physics.

Immersion cooling is the culmination of a decades-long trend of bringing cooling ever closer to the heat source.

Air cooling in one form or another has been in use since the inception of data centers themselves in the 1970s. Air alone can effectively cool perhaps 30-35 kW/rack. But, in reality, it becomes very inefficient
above 15 kW/rack.

Rear-door heat exchangers (RDHx) improve matters by blowing air across a coil of liquid coolant.

Cold-plate cooling (a/k/a direct-to-chip or liquid-to-chip) mounts cold thermal transfer plates directly onto IT components. But it is still a hybrid solution consisting of both liquid and fan-blown air cooling.

All the preceding solutions involve air in one way or another. But simple physics proves there’s a limit to how much heat air can conduct.

Immersion cooling, pioneered by GRC in 2009, shattered the heat barrier and offered a clear path to data center growth.

Burning CPU w Text Desktop
101 PUE graphic

The Right Coolant is Crucial

Immersion cooling is founded on the fact that liquid conducts heat 1200x better than air.

Servers pouring with text Desktop

Immersion cooling is founded on the fact that liquid conducts heat 1200x better than air. But the type of liquid makes a big difference. Along with the fact that they are becoming inadequate for cooling today’s super-hot data centers, cold plate and RDHx systems both employ water, which can pose safety and other concerns.

Alternative liquids coming in direct contact with IT assets must be dielectric, that is having sufficiently low electrical conductivity so as not to interfere with server operation.

Two-phase immersion cooling systems work well. But they are relatively complex. They also require specially engineered fluids that are expensive upfront, have a global warming potential (GWP), and must also be replenished periodically.

Single-phase immersion cooling systems, like the ones perfected by GRC, are less costly to acquire and operate. They are far simpler, with fewer moving parts. Plus, they use non-toxic, environmentally safe ElectroSafe® coolants which effectively never need replacing.

Get an in-depth comparison of these two systems >>

Benefits of Single-Phase Immersion Cooling

Helps break through the density barrier and grow your data center

Ideal for new installations, or expanding incrementally through mixed racks

Can easily cool up to 100 kW/rack using warm-water systems, 200 kW for chilled-water systems

Simplifies capacity planning

Delivers a pPUE of <1.03

Makes data centers greener and more sustainable

GRC: The Immersion Cooling Authority®

Founded in 2009, GRC has perfected single-phase immersion cooling, firmly establishing this technology as the most powerful, efficient and cost-effective data center cooling system on the market. Read all about us >>

Our Products:

ICEraQ® rack-based immersion cooling systems are available in multiple configurations to help you build your data center from the ground up or incrementally.

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ICEtank® containerized systems are turnkey, data centers in-a-box with complete cooling and power infrastructure that offer total location flexibility, even in adverse conditions.

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GRC Single-Phase Immersion Cooling System Features

  • Cuts cooling energy by up to 90%
  • Lowers upfront costs by up to 50%
  • No CRACs, CRAHs, raised floors or chillers
  • Cools up to 200 kW in a single rack
  • Attains a pPUE <1.03
  • Compatible with OEM servers, CPUs, & GPUs
  • Non-toxic, non-flammable, environmentally safe
  • ElectroSafe® coolants never need replacing
  • Fast deployment
Learn Even More About the Efficiency and Sustainability of Immersion Cooling

With successful installations spanning the globe, including some of the biggest names in IT, GRC can help you overcome your data center challenges by plugging you into a single-phase immersion cooling system with proven results. Call +1.512.692.8003 or complete our response form below and a GRC representative will contact you.