Iceotope launches state-of-the art liquid cooling lab

Iceotope Technologies has launched Iceotope Labs, the first of its state-of-the-art liquid cooling lab facilities in Sheffield. Designed to revolutionize high-density data center research and testing capabilities for customers seeking to deploy liquid cooling solutions, Iceotope Labs sets a new standard as the industry's most advanced liquid-cooled data center test environment available today.

Amid the exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, liquid cooling is rapidly becoming an enabling technology for AI workloads. As operators evolve their data center facilities to meet this market demand, validating liquid cooling technology is key to future proofing infrastructure decisions.

By leveraging advanced monitoring capabilities, data analysis tools, and a specialist team of test engineers, Iceotope Labs will provide quantitative data and a state-of-the-art research and development (R&D) environment to demonstrate the benefits of liquid cooling to customers and partners seeking to utilize the latest advancements in high-density infrastructure and GPU-powered computing. Examples of recent research conducted by Iceotope Labs includes groundbreaking testing for next-gen chip level cooling at both 1500W and 1000W . These tests demonstrated Precision Liquid Cooling’s ability to meet the thermal demands of future computing architectures needed for AI compute.

Working in partnership with Efficiency IT, a UK specialist in data centers, IT and critical communications environments, the first of Iceotope’s bespoke labs showcases the adaptability and flexibility of leveraging liquid cooling in a host of data center settings including HPC, supercomputing and edge environments. The fully functional, small-scale liquid cooled data center includes two temperature-controlled test rooms and dedicated space for thermal, mechanical and electronic testing for everything from next generation CPUs and GPUs to racks and manifolds.

Iceotope Labs also features a facility water system (FWS) loop, a technology cooling system (TCS) loop with heat exchangers, as well as an outside dry cooler – demonstrating key technologies for a complete liquid cooled facility. The two flexible, secondary loops are independent of each other and have a large temperature band to stress-test the efficiency and resiliency of a customers' IT equipment if and when required. Additionally, the flexible test space considers all ASHRAE guidelines and best practices to ensure optimal conditions for a range of test setups for enhanced control and monitoring all while maximizing efficiency and safety.

"We are investing in our research and innovation capabilities to offer customers an unparalleled opportunity," said David Craig, CEO of Iceotope. “Iceotope Labs not only serves as a blueprint for what a liquid cooled data center should be but is also a collaborative hub for clients to explore liquid cooling solutions without the need for their own lab space. It's a transformative offering within the data center industry."

David continued, “We’d like to thank Efficiency IT for their role in bringing Iceotope Labs to fruition. Their design expertise has empowered us with the flexibility needed to create a cutting-edge facility that exceeds industry standards."

“With new advancements in GPU, CPU and AI workloads having a transformative impact on both data center design and cooling architectures, it’s clear to see that liquid cooling will play a significant role in improving the resiliency, energy and environmental impact of data centers,” said Nick Ewing, MD, EfficiencyIT. “We’re delighted to have supported Iceotope throughout the design, development and installation of its industry-first Iceotope Lab, and look forward to building on our collaboration as together, we develop a new customer roadmap for high-density, liquid-cooled data center solutions.”

Located at Iceotope's global headquarters in Sheffield, UK, Iceotope Labs further expands the location as a hub for technology innovation and enables Iceotope to continue to deliver the highest level of customer experience.