Data center cooling

Data center cooling comprises equipment and methods that remove heat from computing hardware and its surroundings, keeping components within safe operating temperatures.

Computer room air conditioning: A dedicated air-conditioning system that controls temperature and humidity in computer rooms. CRAC units cool room air and circulate it through server spaces.
Direct-to-chip liquid cooling: A cooling method that circulates liquid through cold plates attached to heat-producing computer components. Cold plates remove heat directly from high-power processors and accelerators.
Air cooling: A method of removing heat by transferring it to moving air. Air cooling is the conventional alternative to liquid-based server cooling.
Power usage effectiveness: A data-center efficiency metric comparing total facility energy use with IT equipment energy use. Cooling energy contributes to the overhead measured by this ratio.
Computer room air handler: A computer-room cooling unit that moves air across a cooling coil, often supplied with chilled water. CRAH units transfer server-room heat to chilled-water systems.
Immersion cooling: A cooling method in which computing hardware is submerged in a dielectric liquid. Immersion cooling can manage dense hardware loads without conventional server airflow.
Liquid cooling: A method of removing heat by circulating liquid through or near heat-producing equipment. Liquid can carry more heat per unit volume than air, changing cooling-system design.
Data center energy use: The electricity consumed by data centers for computing, storage, networking, and facility operations. Cooling is a major facility load alongside power conversion and distribution.
Hot aisle containment: A data-center layout that encloses hot exhaust air to keep it separate from cool supply air. Containment reduces mixing that makes cooling less efficient.
Rear-door heat exchanger: A heat exchanger mounted on a rack’s rear that cools hot exhaust air as it leaves servers. It captures rack exhaust heat before that air mixes into the room.

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