Exploring Schneider Electric's liquid cooling solutions for AI datacenters

Schneider Electric, a prominent entity in the digital transformation of energy management, has announced its innovative end-to-end liquid cooling solutions designed specifically for hyperscale, colocation, and high-density data centre environments. This new offering underscores their strategy to equip the AI Factories of the Future with optimal cooling solutions.

Offered under the name Motivair by Schneider Electric, these cooling solutions address the power-intensive requirements of modern data centres globally. The suite encompasses data centre infrastructure like CDUs, RDHx, and HDUs, alongside dynamic cold plates and chillers. This comprehensive liquid and air-cooled portfolio complements Schneider Electric's expertise in HVAC management, accommodating AI and HPC workloads.

In the evolving landscape of data centres, densification is key. With rack densities surpassing 140kW and forecasting a spike to 1MW, cooling infrastructure becomes critical. The efficiency of direct liquid cooling, 3,000 times better than air at chip-level heat removal, is pivotal. However, implementing such technology demands a holistic approach, covering sourcing, integration, and maintenance.

Schneider Electric ensures that its customers receive an all-in-one solution, encompassing core cooling infrastructure, to tackle the complexities arising from AI advancements. As the CEO of Motivair highlights, continuous collaboration with major GPU providers like NVIDIA has allowed Schneider to co-develop solutions tailored to the most demanding applications.

The liquid cooling portfolio extensively covers devices such as:

• Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs): Offered in collaboration with key players, these range from 105 kW to 2.5 MW.
• ChilledDoor® Rear Door Heat Exchanger: Suited for racks up to 75 kW, this versatile component addresses the demands of power-intensive GPUs.
• Liquid-to-Air Heat Dissipation Unit (HDU™): Ideal when water availability is limited, it delivers a market-leading 100 kW of heat rejection.
• Chillers and TCS Loops: Optimising water usage, these units deliver enhanced energy performance while reducing resource consumption significantly.

Complemented by Schneider's EcoStruxure software, these hardware elements are backed by decades of expertise, ensuring top-tier thermal management.

With a robust global supply chain and manufacturing capabilities in the US, Italy, and India, Schneider Electric assures locality and efficiency in production. Rigorous in-house testing further validates each unit before deployment, ensuring customers a hassle-free experience.