Traditional cooling technologies strain to keep up with today’s performance demands. That’s where HPE next-generation compute steps in, with two options for liquid cooling.
Air cooling: is it good enough?
As almost everyone knows, businesses are deriving significant value from growing data, especially with the rise in use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies. Needless to say, both technologies demand performance-intensive computing that require high core count CPUs and coprocessors such as GPUs. The result? Traditional air technologies used to cool those high-end processors become very challenging.
Liquid cooling, an alternative to traditional air cooling for servers and data centers, involves using a liquid (usually water-based) to dissipate heat generated by IT equipment. Quite simply, liquid cooling is more efficient at dissipating heat – and can readily handle higher heat loads.
And that is where HPE ProLiant servers step in.
Many people are unaware that two liquid cooling solutions – closed-loop liquid cooling and direct liquid cooling – are currently available with select HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers. These two distinct ways to cool electronic components, including servers, have different designs and applications.
Here's a comparison between the two:
Closed-loop liquid cooling
Closed-loop liquid cooling systems for servers are somewhat similar in principle to the engine cooling system in a car. Both systems are designed to regulate temperature by removing heat from a closed environment, but they differ in the specific mechanisms and scale of operation. Here's how the process fundamentally works in a server.
System. Liquid cooling systems for servers use a closed-loop design, which means that a liquid coolant circulates within a closed circuit to remove heat from server components.
Heat absorption. Within the server, heat is absorbed by the liquid coolant as it passes over hot components like CPUs and GPUs. The heated coolant then flows to a heat exchanger.
Heat dissipation. In the heat exchanger, in this case a radiator, the heat from the coolant or warm liquid is transferred to another medium (usually air), which carries the heat away from the server.
Combine all of these factors and you have a highly efficient system that removes heat from servers, making it a valuable choice for high-performance computing environments, data centers, and situations where traditional air cooling is insufficient.
Direct liquid cooling
Direct liquid cooling (DLC) is a method of cooling electronic components, such as CPUs and GPUs, by bringing a liquid coolant into direct contact with these components. This allows for efficient heat transfer and cooling.
Here's how DLC typically works:
System. In a DLC setup, each electronic component – for example a CPU or GPU – that requires cooling is equipped with a cold plate or cooling block. This cold plate is a metal or copper plate with channels or fins through which the liquid coolant flows; this is mounted directly onto the electronic component's heat source, ensuring that it makes direct contact. This contact allows the coolant to absorb heat directly from the component.
Heat absorption. As the electronic component operates, it generates heat. This heat is conducted through the cold plate, causing the coolant to heat up as it flows through the channels or fins of the cold plate. The heated coolant then flows away from the cold plate, carried by the pump and tubing. It moves toward a heat exchanger, typically located outside the server or electronic device.
Heat dissipation. In the heat exchanger, the heated coolant is cooled back down to its lower operating temperature. Once cooled, the liquid coolant is returned to the cold plates to repeat the cycle. The pump continues to circulate the coolant, ensuring a continuous and efficient cooling process.
Figure 3 - Anatomy of a direct liquid cooling systemWhich HPE ProLiant Servers have liquid cooling options?
Both of the liquid cooling methods explained above apply to a variety of HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers, as follows:
DLC or CLC: Which one is right for you?
Key advantages of direct liquid cooling include its high cooling efficiency, which allows it to handle high-powered components, and its ability to target specific hotspots for cooling. Closed-loop liquid cooling, on the other hand, is easier to implement and is available as a more standardized solution. The choice between the two depends on factors like the specific hardware being cooled, the complexity of the implementation, and the cooling requirements of the application.
Learn More
Interested in hearing more about liquid cooling options available with HPE ProLiant Gen11 servers? Read this solution brief or reach out to your HPE representative for further details.
Sonja is currently a product marketing manager at Hewlett Packard Enterprise, focusing on HPE ProLiant servers. Working in the IT industry since 1997, Sonja has extensive marketing and product management experience with enterprise software and technology companies, including Dell, Sun Microsystems and Zebra Technologies. In 2011, Sonja co-authored a book (IT Operations Management), which discusses best practices associated with IT infrastructure management, especially as they relate to cloud and virtualized environments. Sonja’s education includes an MBA from University of Chicago’s Booth School as well as an MS and BS in Engineering from the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana.
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