Welcome to a Fort KNX update with John Fort interviewing Charles Liang, founder and CEO of Supermicro. Charles Liang discusses the growing importance of liquid cooling in data centers, driven by the increasing heat and energy demands of AI technologies.
Supermicro has been pioneering liquid cooling for years, but now aims to expand its market share from less than 1% to over 15% within 12 months. Liquid cooling is more efficient, reducing energy costs by up to 40% and significantly lowering CO2 emissions. Charles explains that Supermicro’s Building Block Solutions make liquid cooling deployment faster and more cost-effective, with the ability to manufacture and ship up to 1,000 racks per month.
Three general types of liquid cooling exist: direct liquid cooling (DLC), immersion cooling, and rear door heat exchangers. Supermicro focuses on DLC for its efficiency and readiness. Charles Liang emphasizes that their innovative solutions allow for quicker, more efficient deployment compared to traditional methods.
Supermicro’s liquid cooling technology has garnered significant interest, with substantial backorders and plans to increase manufacturing capacity across multiple locations. The shift towards liquid cooling is essential for supporting the high-density computing required by modern AI applications, and Supermicro says it is leading this transformation in the data center industry.
Overall, the adoption of liquid cooling not only benefits energy efficiency but also supports sustainability goals, making it a critical component for the future of data centers.