While it might look odd, immersing servers in a non-conductive liquid is a dramatically more efficient method of heat transfer than traditional computer room air conditioning. Globally, data centers use over 200 terawatt-hours of electricity annually, 40 percent of which is used for cooling. A switch to immersion cooling could save 70 terawatt-hours of electric usage globally. It also makes it much easier to time-shift demand by cooling excess fluid during peak renewable generation times and using that extra cold fluid during low-renewable generation.
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J Scott Christianson
University of Missouri-Columbia