Immersion cooling for data centres | 3M™ Novec™ Fluid

A rack of IT hardware immersed in 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids.

Immersion cooling for data centres

Turn down the heat, turn up the performance.

See the benefits

What is immersion cooling?

Data centre immersion cooling involves directly immersing IT hardware in a non-conductive liquid such as 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids.

Heat generated by the electronic components is directly and efficiently transferred to the fluid, reducing the need for active cooling components, such as interface materials, heat sinks and fans that are common in air cooling.

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Keep temperatures — and costs — down

In comparison to air cooling, direct liquid cooling improves efficiency and reduces costs at every phase of your data centre’s life, from design and construction, to operation, to maintenance, repair and replacement of hardware.*

Reduce energy costs up to 97%

Help improve data centre energy efficiency (often the largest electricity cost for a data centre) by up to 97%.*
Save space with 10X less room required

Improved cooling capacity means you can position electronics closer together — so you can fit 10 times the computer density in a given space. This opens the possibilities of where you can put a data centre.*
Optimize for greater performance

With greater thermal efficiency, you can increase processing power and reduce latency beyond the limits of air cooling.*
Mitigate equipment breakdown

Run your electronics at full capacity with less wear and tear. Liquid immersion cooling helps eliminate airborne contaminants and simplifies thermal design to reduce moving parts.*

Saving energy is not only good for the bottom line — it’s good for the earth.
Less power used means less electricity needed, which in turn means less fuel used and fewer emissions. Smaller data centres save construction materials and maintenance. If your goal is a more sustainable data centre, 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids make these outcomes possible and feature
- Favourable environmental profile
- Low global warming potential (GWP)
- Zero ozone depletion potential (ODP)*

Safe for worker exposure
Building a data centre that uses immersion cooling doesn’t compromise safety for your operator. 3M designs all 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids to feature
- Overall wide margin of safety for workers
- Low toxicity
- Non-flammability

The inside of a data centre with a long row of server racks.

If supercomputers are working faster, they’re getting hotter quicker

Why we must keep supercomputers cool

Frequently asked questions about immersion cooling for data centres

How does immersion cooling work?
Immersion cooling involves putting electronics directly in a non-conductive fluid, allowing heat to be transferred directly from components into the heat transfer fluid. In traditional cooling systems, heat must transfer through several levels of thermal interface materials, air, heat exchangers and working fluids. Immersion cooling simplifies thermal design and increases heat transfer efficiency.
What are benefits of 3M™ Novec™ Fluids over mineral oil?
Many factors should be evaluated when selecting a working fluid. 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids have a number of significant advantages versus other classes of dielectric fluids, including mineral oil. In addition to being non-flammable and non-combustible, Novec fluids have the boiling points and thermal stability needed for two-phase immersion cooling operations.* Servicing and maintenance are made easy, since the electronics come out of Novec fluid clean and dry.
Is fluid loss a problem in Novec-based immersion cooling systems?
Immersion cooling systems are typically designed to be serviceable and hot-swappable, but are also designed with fluid containment in mind. By following 3M best practices and purchasing from a 3M authorized immersion cooling OEM, fluid losses can be held to inconsequential amounts.
How can I buy a Novec-based immersion cooling system?
Vendors are already offering proprietary server and mechanical systems based upon this technology, with others in development.
For assistance finding a qualified vendor, please contact us.