FEATURE: GREEN ENERGY AND SUSTAINABILITY
Immersion cooling systems for African data centres
The demand for data centres in Africa is growing, driven by several factors. These include government regulations for local data security, an increasing demand for cloud computing among small and mid-sized enterprises and growing investment by domestic players.
While there are several data centre cooling technologies that are already tried and trusted, including air cooling, direct-tochip cooling and immersion cooling, these could offer exciting opportunities for noteworthy improvements in data centre energy efficiency.
Immersion cooling submerges server equipment in a cooling fluid to moderate and control its temperature – and is a highly efficient cooling method that should significantly reduce energy consumption when compared to traditional air-cooling systems. While still a relatively new technology in Africa, liquid and immersion cooling are expected to gain traction locally, offering a real potential to revolutionise data centre cooling on the continent.
Immersion cooling is a liquid cooling technology in which servers and other rack components are submerged in a thermally conductive dielectric liquid or fluid within a sealed tank. This liquid, selected for its excellent thermal transfer properties, absorbs heat from IT equipment for efficient HPC cooling. The benefits of immersion cooling include the following:
Server immersion cooling helps to dissipate heat and keep components like central processing units, CPUs performing optimally.
Liquid and immersion cooling systems have been proven to be more efficient than traditional air conditioning data centre cooling methods, due to the increased thermal conductivity of most liquids compared to air.
The dielectric liquid enveloping the server components, while being thermally conductive, is not electrically conductive, meaning that the fluid will not disrupt the function of electrical components within these servers.
Immersion cooling absorbs 100 % of the heat from the server components, as they are fully submerged in the fluid, minimising the need for air cooling units and reducing heat transfer steps. However, room cooling units remain essential in a data centre to cool any equipment and heat loads that are not addressed by direct liquid cooling.
Air quality and humidity are regulated using a filtration system to prevent dust buildup, facilitate clean air circulation and filter fresh air introduced, maintaining breathable conditions. As an added benefit, liquid cooling systems should also offer a quieter data centre environment. Unlike the noise prevalent in air-cooled centres due to extensive air recirculation, liquid cooling is silent, with only the soft hum of pumps, significantly reducing overall noise levels.
Overheating can damage server equipment, potentially leading to unwanted downtime, while overheated computer equipment can also create premature failures.
Immersion cooling can enhance data centre performance by efficiently managing high heat outputs. In HPC and AI workloads, immersion cooling systems can deliver cooling capacities exceeding 200kW per tank, 42 or 52 rack units. This technology can thus provide an effective solution for intense computational demands in a reduced footprint.
Wojtek Piorko, Managing Director – Africa, Vertiv partners in the transition to a more sustainable digital economy.
The future of computing depends on finding a sustainable balance between innovation and environmental responsibility. For IT providers, this means embedding sustainability into every aspect of their service delivery model, from advocating for open-source energy-efficient frameworks to designing AI-as-a-Service platforms powered by renewable energy.
In countries like South Africa, where energy poverty and digital transformation coexist, these strategies are not simply ethical considerations but also pressing economic imperatives. By proactively marrying cuttingedge computing technologies with circular economy principles, IT providers can transform sustainability from a perceived cost centre into a powerful catalyst for growth and long-term value creation.
The industry has a vital role in ensuring a sustainable and equitable digital future for all. p
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