The Study
Researchers from Microsoft and WSP Global conducted a major study published in Nature.
They found that advanced cooling methods like cold plates and immersion cooling:
Reduce emissions by 15–21%
Cut energy use by 15–20%
Decrease water use by 31–52%
The study used a life cycle assessment to measure full environmental impact.
These findings help the ICT industry plan greener, more climate-friendly data centres.
Electronics versus Rising Temperatures
Electronics generate heat when working — like crowded kitchens with many cooks.
More powerful chips mean more heat, especially in data centres.
Without proper cooling, hardware would overheat and fail.
Cooling keeps electronics running fast, efficiently, and safely.
Race to Cut Emissions
Cooling systems in data centres use almost as much power as computing itself.
The ICT industry must cut emissions by 42% by 2030 to help fight climate change.
Data centres need:
Energy-efficient cooling
Lower water usage
Less greenhouse gas emissions
As demand for cloud services grows, better cooling is urgently needed.
Ice Packs and Oil Baths
Cold Plates (Direct-to-Chip Cooling):
Work like ice packs on hot chips.
Use coolant-filled channels to absorb and move heat away.
Much more efficient than fans.
Immersion Cooling:
Like dunking electronics in a special heat-absorbing oil.
Can be one-phase (liquid) or two-phase (vapor cycle).
Removes 100% of heat, is silent, and reduces corrosion and carbon footprint.
Companies like Microsoft and Alibaba are already using these at scale.
Green or Just Less Dirty?
These cooling methods are better, but not perfect.
Challenges include:
Regulatory hurdles around coolant fluids
Complex designs that slow down implementation
True sustainability means considering all environmental impacts, not just shifting pollution elsewhere.
Twin Engines of a Green Data Centre
Study compared air, cold-plate, and immersion cooling.
With 100% renewable energy, results improve further:
Emissions down by 85–90%
Energy use cut by 6–7%
Water usage slashed by 55–85%
Life cycle assessments are key to understanding trade-offs and guiding smart choices.
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