This Nvidia Partner Could Help AI Data Centers Cut Their Energy Consumption in Half
HyperCube uses advanced immersion cooling technology.
Sustainable Metal Cloud
The explosion of artificial intelligence is increasing the need for more powerful processors as well as the energy needed to keep data centers cool.
That’s an opportunity for data center company Sustainable Metal Cloud, which operates “sustainable AI factories” including HyperCubes in Singapore and Australia.
HyperCubes contain servers equipped with Nvidia processors that are immersed in a synthetic oil called polyalphaolefin that dissipates heat more efficiently than air. The company says its platform reduces energy consumption by up to 50 percent, compared to traditional air-cooling technology commonly used in data centers.
“It enables high-density storage for GPUs. It enables the kind of storage that we need to see for platforms like [Nvidia’s] “Grace Blackwell,” said Tim Rosenfield, co-founder and co-CEO of Sustainable Metal Cloud, referring to the new generation of AI graphics processors. Nvidia was announced in March.
The Singapore-based company also says its immersion cooling technology is 28 percent cheaper to install than other liquid-based solutions. HyperCubes are designed to fit into any data center and can be deployed in unused space in existing data centers.
Most data centers are not ready for any type of liquid, whether immersion or direct chip cooling. The market is figuring out the best way to use this method, and I think there will be many ways.
Tim Rosenfield
Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Sustainable Metal Cloud
“Our container solution means we can go anywhere very quickly. And we can open up new availability zones to meet customer demand…”, said Rosenfield.
SMC is expanding into other markets such as Thailand and India, he said.
The company currently counts Nvidia and Deloitte among its major corporate partners. SMC is a preferred cloud partner Nvidia’s GPU computing and AI and provides GPU clusters designed by the chip giant. In July, SMC announced a partnership with Deloitte in which the company will provide access to Nvidia’s GPU computing infrastructure to the consulting firm’s clients to build AI applications.
Governments and businesses have been quick to embrace the transformative impact of AI, and demand for data centers has exploded as a result.
Countries like Singapore, where SMC is headquartered, are also looking to reduce their massive energy consumption by promoting “green” data centers to support its AI ambitions, where the country has committed more S$500 million ($379.7 million).
Sustainable Metal Cloud has received funding from ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, one of Asia’s largest data center operators, backed by Temasek, the Singapore state investment company.
SMC is currently improving The company has $400 million in equity and $550 million in debt, part of which will be used to expand its data center outside Singapore, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.
Liquid cooling is picking up speed
Technology companies are increasingly interested in liquid cooling solutions for their data centers as increasing performance demands also increase the risk of overheating.
Traditionally, data centers have had large aisles for cool air to circulate, as overheating can lead to equipment failure and downtime. In theory, liquid cooling would allow these facilities to pack more servers into their existing space.
Giordano Albertazzi, CEO of digital infrastructure provider Vertiv, told CNBC in June that adoption of liquid cooling could accelerate through 2024. Vertiv’s thermal management offerings include hybrid air and liquid cooling, as well as fully liquid-cooled data centers.
At Computex Taipei in June, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Promote the benefits of Supermicro’s direct liquid cooling technologyThis saves energy and reduces costs in AI data centers, he said.
The servers are immersed in oil inside tank-like “super cubes” for efficient heat dissipation.
Sustainable Metal Cloud
Supermicro CEO Charles Liang told CNBC in June that liquid cooling is more energy efficient, leading to better performance, less pollution and lower energy costs.
Despite the hype, liquid cooling deployment remains challenging, according to SMC’s Rosenfield.
“Most data centers are not ready for any kind of liquid cooling, whether it’s immersion or direct chip cooling,” Rosenfield said. “The market is figuring out the best way to use this, and I think there will be many ways.”
“There’s still a lot of air cooling going on in the data center and it will continue to go on even in high-density AI data centers,” said Vertiv’s Albertazzi.
