Air and water cooling system management: technological innovation and new industry trends

Driven by digital transformation and green development, air-cooling and liquid-cooling system management technologies continue to upgrade, becoming a core support for ensuring efficient equipment operation and reducing energy consumption. Recently, multiple industries have made significant progress in innovative applications and standardization in this field.

Data Centers: Hybrid Cooling Technology Addresses High-Density Heat Dissipation

With the explosive growth in demand for AI computing power, the power density of a single data center cabinet has rapidly exceeded 100kW, posing a significant challenge to traditional cooling solutions. At the 2025 Data Center Green and Low-Carbon Technology Summit, a new "air-liquid coordinated cooling system" garnered significant attention. This system uses intelligent algorithms to dynamically allocate air and liquid cooling loads, automatically increasing the proportion of liquid cooling during GPU cluster operation and switching to air cooling as the primary cooling mode during off-peak hours. This system consistently maintains a power usage effectiveness (PUE) below 1.15. On a technical level, the air cooling module utilizes a hybrid design combining a variable-frequency fluorine pump and natural cooling. It automatically activates natural cooling mode when the outdoor temperature drops below 15°C, saving over 25% energy compared to traditional air cooling systems. The liquid cooling module utilizes a combined "cold plate + immersion cooling" solution, using cold plates for precise heat dissipation of core components like CPUs and GPUs, while peripheral devices are cooled with immersion liquid cooling. This increases the cooling capacity of a single cabinet to 150kW. Pilot data from a leading cloud provider shows that this hybrid system reduced annual cooling energy consumption in the data center by 32%.

Industry Standards: Accelerating Standardization of Liquid Cooling Systems

To address compatibility and safety issues in the application of liquid cooling technology, the "Liquid Cooling Data Center Design and Operation and Maintenance Specifications," spearheaded by the China Electronics Technology Standardization Institute, has entered the public comment phase. This standard defines the design parameters, construction requirements, and operation and maintenance metrics for cold plate and immersion cooling systems. It also proposes, for the first time, a "Liquid Cooling System Full Lifecycle Energy Efficiency Assessment System," with mandatory requirements for the physical and chemical properties of the coolant medium and pressure loss in the circulation system. At the same time, the "Air-Liquid Synergistic Cooling System Performance Test Platform" was put into operation in Jiangsu. This platform can simulate ambient temperatures ranging from -30°C to 40°C, quantitatively testing the synergistic effects of air and liquid cooling at different power densities, providing standardized performance verification services for businesses. The platform operator stated that it has assisted 12 companies in completing testing and certification of new cooling solutions, shortening the commercialization cycle of liquid cooling technology by 40%.

Civilian Sector: Energy Efficiency and Intelligent Upgrades of Air-Cooled Equipment

The residential air conditioning sector has achieved a technological breakthrough. A new generation of DC variable-frequency air-cooled heat pump units, utilizing "adaptive variable flow" technology, has achieved new levels of energy efficiency. The intelligent water pumps in these units automatically adjust the water flow rate based on the indoor and outdoor temperature differential and room load, reducing energy consumption by 18% under partial-load conditions and achieving a Cooling Seasonal Coefficient of Performance (CSPF) of 5.6, far exceeding the national Class I energy efficiency standard. In terms of functional design, the new units feature a new "climate adaptive mode." Using built-in environmental sensors, it automatically activates an antifreeze cycle in extremely cold regions and activates variable frequency fan speed control in hot environments, ensuring stable operation across a wide temperature range of -25°C to 50°C. Users can view real-time energy consumption data via a mobile app, and the system also provides energy-saving operation recommendations based on user habits. Pilot users report an average 15% reduction in monthly electricity bills.

Currently, the management of air-cooled and liquid-cooled systems is demonstrating the characteristics of "technological integration, intelligent operation, and standardized standards." Air cooling technology is evolving toward "deep utilization of natural cooling sources," while liquid cooling technology is expanding toward "global adaptation." The two are dynamically coordinated through intelligent control systems. In the future, with the integration of new technologies such as hydrogen direct cooling and phase change materials, cooling systems will achieve even greater breakthroughs in low-carbonization and high-density design.