Today, Intel and ExxonMobil announced they will collaborate to develop advanced liquid cooling technologies. The big tech and big oil pairing will work closely during their multi-year collaboration to "develop and certify next-generation, energy-efficient, liquid-based cooling technologies" writes ExxonMobil in the press release. Intel wants significant improvements in order to cool future Xeon CPUs with up to 2,000 watts TDPs, which are scheduled to appear between now and 2030.
ExxonMobil is best known as an oil company, but it's also one of the largest chemical businesses worldwide. One of its perhaps surprising strengths is in providing advanced fluids for liquid immersion cooling solutions. It makes various PFAS-free immersion cooling products offering different grades, viscosities, and flash points.
In the press release, ExxonMobil says it hopes the new collaboration will aid the industry’s transition to liquid cooling. A canned statement from Intel echoes those hopes and explains that turnkey solutions for liquid cooling that provide "significant energy and water savings" are among the goals of the partnership.
ExxonMobil makes some bold claims for its immersion cooling fluids. Its dielectric fluids are said to offer superior thermal management while increasing hardware lifespan and lowering costs. The trio of properties highlighted seem handpicked to appeal to data center operators. Sustainability is also stressed, with ExxonMobil pointing to reduced energy use (measured by Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE)), reduced water consumption, and increased rack density.
