Data center operators are challenged to support rapidly changing environments where established computing applications coexist with high-density computing technology being deployed to support AI. Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, and Compass Datacenters, which designs, builds and operates data center campuses for some of the world’s largest technology companies, have announced a collaboration to develop a first-of-its-kind solution that will facilitate future AI deployments with the ability to easily switch between liquid and air cooling to enable high-density computing.
Vertiv and Compass engineers collaborated to design this future-proof cooling solution, with Vertiv developing and manufacturing the technology product. The initial units will be deployed at a Compass facility during the first quarter of 2025, as part of a multi-year supply agreement worth billions of dollars.
Vertiv CoolPhase Flex, the next generation of the high-efficiency Vertiv Liebert DSE Packaged System, integrates liquid cooling capabilities with refrigerant-based air cooling and heat rejection technologies into a single integrated system. As data center customers plan their growth strategies, Vertiv CoolPhase Flex can be used initially as a direct expansion (DX) cooling system with integrated savings to support efficient and reliable air cooling, and later, When high-density computing systems are deployed, liquid cooling capability can be quickly and easily activated to support these types of cooling options.
“Our customers are looking for fast, convenient and energy-efficient ways to introduce liquid cooling to support AI and other high-density applications, but they also want the flexibility to leverage air cooling and run mixed loads in the same facilities. », said Chris Crosby, CEO of Compass. “We had a vision of a future where we could be prepared to rapidly deploy air or liquid cooling systems to respond to the changing needs of our customers, and Vertiv has realized that vision in a very innovative way. “The new Vertiv™ CoolPhase Flex provides a level of flexibility that is unprecedented in the market and is extremely useful for us and our customers.”
This innovative solution integrates liquid and air cooling technologies to meet the evolving and mixed cooling needs of data centers supporting AI.
Key benefits of the new Vertiv CoolPhase Flex include:
- Faster, easier deployments of high-density computing: Thanks to the integrated hybrid design of Vertiv CoolPhase Flex, the complexity associated with adopting liquid cooling systems is minimized, reducing deployment time, as well as costs and downtime associates
- Efficiency without compromise: For air cooling, the solution uses pumped refrigerant economization (PRE) technology that automatically switches to freecooling mode when external conditions are favorable. When IT loads require liquid cooling, the system can be easily converted for fluid distribution and heat rejection, being compatible with liquid cooling solutions such as the Vertiv XDU 1350
- Cost and space savings: The self-contained system is installed outside the data center, freeing up valuable space. Compass modular data centers and equipment zones are designed to be flexible and scalable, so they can adapt to evolving requirements and new technologies.
This will allow customers to upgrade to the Vertiv CoolPhase Flex with minimal impact on their operations and without the need to incur the high costs associated with extensive rebuilds or renovations.
Compass has also deployed the Vertiv Next Predict service platform, which leverages predictive analytics to make it easier for companies to move from reactive to proactive maintenance on select refrigeration units. The platform provides visibility into equipment operations and uses historical and operational data to alert when maintenance interventions are required.
