LG, SK Enmove, GRC Partner on AI Data Center Liquid Cooling
▼ Summary
– LG Electronics has signed an MOU with SK Enmove and Green Revolution Cooling to jointly develop liquid immersion cooling solutions for AI data centers.
– The partnership will leverage LG’s cooling system integration, SKEN’s immersion cooling fluids, and GRC’s immersion tank design expertise.
– Liquid immersion cooling submerges servers in non-conductive fluid to improve energy efficiency and enable stable operation of high-density GPU servers.
– This technology reduces power consumption, enhances heat transfer efficiency, and lowers fire risks compared to traditional cooling methods.
– LG plans to expand its immersion cooling demonstrations and develop an integrated management platform to monitor data center systems in real time.
A major new alliance is forming to tackle the immense cooling demands of artificial intelligence data centers. LG Electronics has entered a strategic partnership with SK Enmove and Green Revolution Cooling (GRC), joining forces to advance and commercialize next-generation liquid immersion cooling systems. This collaboration, formalized through a memorandum of understanding, aims to create integrated solutions that address the soaring power consumption and heat output of AI infrastructure.
The three organizations will work in concert to identify new business ventures, execute joint marketing campaigns, and provide proof-of-concept demonstrations for their combined liquid immersion cooling offerings. Each partner brings a distinct and critical capability to the table. SK Enmove, a specialist in advanced thermal management fluids, was the first Korean company to develop its own immersion cooling fluids and has invested directly in GRC to co-develop cooling systems. GRC, based in Texas, is a recognized pioneer in the immersion cooling sector, having launched the industry’s first commercial solution and built partnerships with major global IT firms.
Within this framework, LG will assume responsibility for integrating the complete data center cooling system, supplying essential components like coolant distribution units, facility water units, and chillers. SK Enmove will provide its high-performance dielectric thermal fluids, and GRC will contribute its deep knowledge in the design and implementation of the immersion tank systems themselves.
The explosive growth of the AI industry presents a formidable challenge for data center operators. They are under constant pressure to deliver more computational power while simultaneously improving energy efficiency and adhering to increasingly strict environmental regulations. Liquid immersion cooling offers a powerful answer to this dilemma. This technology involves submerging entire server racks in a specially engineered, non-conductive fluid. Heat is drawn away from the hardware through a heat exchanger and then circulated to external cooling systems, a process that can dramatically slash a facility’s total energy use.
When measured against traditional air or water cooling, liquid immersion cooling delivers superior power usage effectiveness (PUE) and provides the stable thermal environment required by high-density GPU servers. The method also boasts enhanced heat transfer efficiency and can lower the risk of fire, contributing to a safer and more dependable data center operation.
To validate the technology, LG intends to expand its liquid cooling proof-of-concept at its Pyeongtaek testbed by incorporating an immersion cooling solution. This will serve to further demonstrate the company’s system integration prowess. Furthermore, building on this new partnership, LG will develop a unified Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) platform. This system will give operators real-time visibility and control over both their facility infrastructure and server health.
An executive from SK Enmove expressed confidence that the combined expertise of the three companies would significantly boost their competitive standing in the global immersion cooling market. The CEO of GRC noted that the partnership is designed to deliver concrete, measurable value to AI data center clients, helping them to rapidly deploy high-quality cooling and ensure stable operations.
This initiative represents a key step in LG’s overarching plan to provide sustainable and intelligent data center solutions. The company recently supplied its “One LG Solution” to large-scale data centers in Indonesia and showcased its advanced integrated AI data center cooling systems at a major industry event in Singapore. A senior LG president stated that the collaboration with SKEN and GRC is intended to speed up the adoption of liquid immersion cooling, delivering highly efficient and reliable solutions tailored for an AI-centric future.
(Source: MEA Tech Watch)
