These days, it seems like AI is everywhere you look. With its use skyrocketing, the demand for AI data centers is growing, too. AI data centers house the IT infrastructure responsible for training and delivering AI. They require high-performance computing units, as well as advanced storage architecture, networking and energy capabilities. All of these requirements necessitate massive amounts of power and cooling, the need for which, IBM reported, will only continue to grow. Goldman Sachs posited that AI will drive a 160% increase in data center power demand by 2030. Right now, the annual global demand for data center capacity is 60 gigawatts. McKinsey & Company estimated that by 2030, that would rise to 171 to 219 gigawatts, more than doubling.
To save energy, AI data centers are employing advanced cooling systems. Massachusetts-based company Alloy Enterprises manufactures direct liquid-cooled components that handle extreme heat loads in AI and high-performance computing. Now, in addition to aluminum components, the company has launched a direct liquid cooling (DLC) copper solution that aims to slash AI data center energy costs and eliminate the need for HVAC. One reason traditional cooling solutions are hitting their limit is that chip power densities (meaning the amount of electrical power consumed by a chip) are increasing. Additionally, the maximum amount of heat a computer component can generate, also known as thermal design power (TDP), is increasing. Both factors demand improved cooling technology.
AI data centers (Photo Credits: McKinsey & Company)
Direct Liquid Cooling Achieved with Stack Forging
Alloy Enterprises uses a proprietary technology, a unique additive technique called Stack Forging, to fabricate the DLC solutions. The first step of stack forging involves digitally slicing 3D models into layers. Then, the design is laser-cut into sheets from the company’s custom feedstock. Next, they add an agent that creates an inhibition layer in designated areas of the design that act as a mold release. These sheets are then stacked and registered, and then diffusion-bonded together to form a solid block. Once this block is formed, the support material is removed and the components are heat-treated for strength and hardness. Because they are constructed in a single piece, they eliminate leak points common in traditional liquid cooling systems.
Energy Savings and Sustainability
By advancing cooling capabilities, the DLC solutions promote cost and energy savings. The DLC devices target liquid cooling where heat loads are highest. They also reduce pressure drops by up to 10 times, enabling data centers to use 44 °C (111.2°F) water and smaller pumps. This eliminates the need for refrigerated HVAC systems, lowering data center energy consumption by up to 23% and improving both sustainability and profitability.
Three of the last steps of Stack Forging: stacking, bonding, and support removal. (Image Credits: Alloy Enterprises)
Ali Forsyth, PhD., CEO and Co-founder of Alloy Enterprises, shared, “We now deliver industry-leading thermal performance in both aluminum and copper, enabling higher rack densities, significant cost savings and greater sustainability. With 600 kW racks on the horizon, the shift to liquid cooling is no longer optional—it’s mission-critical.”
Initially, Alloy Enterprises offered the DLC system in aluminum, and now, they are also offering it in copper. These cooling components meet the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) standards for chemical compatibility. “Alloy’s copper line is already showing promising results in early customer deployments,” added Forsyth. “These components are hitting target thermal resistance thresholds while maintaining exceptional pressure drop performance, even in the most demanding rack configurations.”
What’s more, Alloy Enterprises claims their supply chain is fully sustainable, with 100% of aluminum and copper scrap generated during manufacturing being easy to recycle. To learn more about the technology, click HERE.
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*Cover Photo: Left: Alloy’s direct liquid cooling cold plate for an AMD-MI300 GPU, Right: CT scan showcasing internal microchannels of the cold plate. Photo Credits: Alloy Enterprises