SMC says it can cut data center energy use by 50%. (Photo: SMC)
Singapore-based data center startup Sustainable Metal Cloud (SMC), a partner of NVIDIA and Deloitte, has introduced an immersion cooling system that reportedly slashes energy consumption by 50% and reduces installation costs by 28% compared to traditional liquid cooling systems. The company currently operates in Australia, India, and Germany, with plans to expand into the Asian market next.
SMC’s technology cuts costs, enhances energy efficiency
Founded in 2018 as a subsidiary of Australian smart factory developer Firmus Technologies, SMC launched its immersion cooling solution, HyperCubes, in 2022. This system involves immersing servers equipped with NVIDIA processors in a synthetic oil called polyalphaolefin to achieve better cooling performance. The company claims that this system can reduce electricity use by nearly 50% compared to conventional air cooling.
Tim Rosenfield, SMC's co-founder, states that “it enables high density hosting for GPUs. It enables the sort of hosting that we need to see for platforms like [Nvidia’s] Grace Blackwell.”
In the wake of the artificial intelligence (AI) wave, the increased computing power of chips has made traditional air cooling inadequate for data centers, prompting the tech industry to explore liquid and immersion cooling technologies to address the substantial cooling demands of AI servers. Theoretically, simply optimizing data center space by eliminating wide aisles required for air circulation gives liquid and immersion cooling technologies a significant advantage.
SMC's HyperCube utilizes advanced immersion cooling technology. (Photo: SMC)
Three key technologies of immersion cooling
Despite the higher energy efficiency and lower pollution of immersion cooling, Rosenfield notes that deploying liquid cooling systems still faces challenges, whether it’s immersion or direct chip cooling, as most data centers are not yet prepared for these types of cooling solutions.
Bill Geary, Executive Vice President of Wesco International and a member of the Forbes Technology Council, identifies three key technical aspects of immersion cooling:
- Dielectric Fluids: These must be non-conductive to prevent short circuits, have stable chemical properties to ensure longevity, and exhibit excellent thermal performance.
- Enclosure Design: The enclosures must ensure optimal contact between the fluid and chip components while maintaining a controlled and safe environment for effective cooling.
- Cooling Infrastructure: This includes heat exchangers, liquid-to-liquid cooling systems, and other cooling mechanisms, focusing on efficient heat absorption and dissipation.
Rosenfield believes that the market is seeking the best cooling methods, and its solution “being containerized means we can go anywhere very quickly. And we can open up new availability zones in response to demand from customers.” With growing demand, SMC plans to expand into the Asian market, including Thailand and Malaysia, as well as the European market with upcoming offices in the UK, as indicated on their website.
