AI GPU maker Nvidia just announced a “hotter than a hot tub” liquid cooling system that it says will cut water and electricity use. According to the company, this new solution will run coolant — composed of 75% water and 25% propylene glycol — at 113 degrees F (45 deg C). By comparison, the water in hot tubs hovers at 100 to 104 degrees F (38 to 40 deg C). This feels counterintuitive, but the company says that the “cool” water is enough to handle the heat generated by Nvidia’s Rubin chips and exit the system at 131 degrees F (55 deg C).
Traditional water-cooling methods, especially those that use chillers, often account for nearly 40% of a data center’s power consumption. Aside from that, these systems must often deal with water loss through evaporation. On the other hand, air-cooled facilities also use a considerable amount of electricity, plus they also generate noise pollution. On the other hand, Nvidia says that this new solution uses a lot fewer resources because of its higher base temperature.
