Data center for AI: a new era of infrastructure

Data centers for artificial intelligence require a fundamentally new approach. Unlike standard data centers, where racks have an average load of about 12 kW, AI systems demand placement with power densities of 40-45 kW and higher. One module, consisting of 12-16 such racks, can consume up to 800 kW of power, and there can be up to 20 such modules in a single room. This creates an enormous load on the power system and requires the implementation of highly efficient cooling solutions.

Attempts to place AI systems in standard data centers, distributing highly loaded servers over an area or floors, as is currently done in most Russian data centers, have many disadvantages. Such approaches lead to huge costs for structured cabling systems (SCS), increase signal delays and are often ineffective.

In an AI data center, racks should be placed as compactly as possible: the closer they are to each other, the shorter the connecting lines and faster the calculations. The implementation of this approach requires a high density of equipment placement and specialized cooling technologies that will ensure uninterrupted operation under extreme loads.

Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) is becoming an integral part of the infrastructure of high-load systems, especially in the field of artificial intelligence. According to the Uptime Institute, the power of AI chips continues to grow and may exceed 500 watts by 2025. This will inevitably lead to an increase in server density and capacity, making air cooling both technically and economically impractical. Even at a load of 25-30 kW, the share of energy consumed by fans increases dramatically, and at 50 kW, air cooling becomes ineffective

Among the two types of DLC — immersion and contact cooling — experts single out contact cooling as the most promising. This technology is based on the circulation of coolant inside the plates, which are in direct contact with the most heated components of the servers, such as processors and graphics cards. However, even contact cooling does not yet allow us to completely abandon the air method. The plates cool only the main heat sources, while the remaining heat generated by other elements, such as motherboards or power supplies, requires air removal.

The IXcellerate R&D team, together with its technology partners, has developed a unique hybrid system that combines liquid and air cooling in one universal design. This system is not only adapted to work with high-load servers, but also optimized to save space and resources. Fluid distribution units (CDUs) and controllers are installed not in each rack, but on a group of racks, which reduces complexity and infrastructure costs.

Liquid cooling in this system is used for key heat sources such as processors and graphics cards, and the residual heat — about 10 kW per rack — is effectively removed by air. This approach allows you to remove up to 100 kW of heat from a single rack, ensuring the stability of the equipment even with high computational density.

To achieve such indicators, the heat exchange area in IXcellerate has been increased, which allows efficient cooling to be maintained even with the temperature difference between the inlet and outlet air in the range of 16-20 °C. By comparison, traditional cooling systems are designed for a difference of 6-12 °C, which makes them unsuitable for high-load systems.

However, for successful mass adoption of DLC, it is necessary to develop generally accepted standards and protocols that will make this technology widely available. Flexibility, cost-effectiveness, and reliability will be crucial factors in integrating these systems into the next-generation data center infrastructure.

Choosing a cooling system is a strategically important decision that determines not only the efficiency of the data center but also its readiness to tackle future challenges. That’s why IXcellerate is actively implementing advanced technologies, testing innovative approaches, and developing solutions that set new standards in the industry.

An experimental laboratory is being prepared for launch—a data hall with a capacity of 1100 kW, designed to accommodate 12-16 racks. Here, combined water-air cooling systems will be tested under various loads, allowing to create and optimize technologies for high-load servers.

Key components of the laboratory include dry coolers with adiabatic pre-cooling and cool walls with a freon circuit, ensuring stable and efficient cooling even under extreme computational densities.

Despite the experimental status of the project, some of our clients have already expressed interest in placing equipment with a load of 60 kW and higher per rack in the hall. This interest underscores the importance of such initiatives, as demand for high-energy density systems continues to grow. The experimental hall will become an important stage in the creation of a new generation of infrastructure.

When the demand for solutions for high-load systems increases significantly, IXcellerate will be ready to offer the market a full-fledged commercial data center designed specifically for artificial intelligence tasks. Based on the technologies tested in the experimental laboratory, a conceptual design of a data center with a capacity of 100 MW has already been created, the construction of which is planned for 2026-2027.

In addition to improving infrastructure for high-density systems, IXcellerate is actively developing cooperation with scientific and technological partners. One of the key areas is the partnership with NRU MEI, which covers the development of innovative solutions for the construction and operation of energy-efficient data centers, as well as the training of specialists for the Russian data center industry.

Within this partnership, research is being conducted aimed at optimizing energy consumption and improving power supply and cooling systems for infrastructure. Special attention is being paid to enhancing the efficiency of fan operations in air cooling systems, reducing losses in the air pathway, and improving heat exchangers for liquid cooling of servers.

Among the priorities for joint projects are the operational modes of energy installations and water-air cooling, automated control of cooling supply systems, as well as implementing technologies for excess heat utilisation. These initiatives aim to enhance the performance of cooling systems and create new standards that meet modern data center requirements.

IXcellerate also supports the training of young specialists: the company invites students from technological universities for internships with prospect job placement and actively participates in scientific conferences. This collaboration not only fosters innovation in the industry but also helps shape a professional workforce ready to address the most complex challenges in the data center industry.

IXcellerate actively sets standards for the data center industry, adapting to rapidly developing technologies and ever-growing market demands. Thanks to the flexibility, scaling and implementation of innovative solutions, our company can not only meet the challenges of the current time, but also anticipate the future needs of customers.