[Hardware] Microsoft Uses Boiling Liquid to Cool Data Center Servers

[AxBxNxHaLaB]

It probably won't make the list of best CPU coolers for end users anytime soon, but  Microsoft's data center servers could be getting a massive thermal management upgrade in the near future.

 

Right now, the software giant is testing a radical new cooling technology known as boiling liquid, which promises to be higher performance, more reliable, and cheaper to maintain compared to traditional air cooling systems in data centers right now.

 

Servers that are equipped with this new prototype cooling system look very similar to mineral oil PCs if you've seen one. Dozens of server blades are packed tightly together in a fully submerged tank of boiling liquid. The liquid of course is non-conductive so the servers can operate safely inside the liquid environment.

 

The liquid is a special unknown recipe that boils at 122 degrees Fahrenheit (which is 90 degrees lower than the boiling point of water). The low boiling point is needed to drive heat away from critical components.

 

Once the liquid begins boiling, it'll automatically roll up to the surface, allowing cooled condensers to contact the liquid, returning the cooling liquid to its fully liquidized state.

 

Effectively, this system is one gigantic vapor chamber. Both cooling systems rely on chemical reactions to bring heat from system components to cooling chambers, whether that be heatsinks or, in this case, a condenser.

 

 

 

Sursa