S-OIL to test liquid immersion cooling for AI data centers until 2029

South Korean energy company S-OIL is partnering with Sungkyunkwan University and Global Standard Technology (GST) to test liquid immersion cooling for AI data centers. The agreement, signed on May 5, aims to verify the technology's effectiveness in real-world high-performance computing environments.

As artificial intelligence expands, data centers face increasing power demands and server heat. Liquid immersion cooling, which submerges servers in non-conductive coolant, offers a more efficient heat removal solution than traditional air cooling. This technology is seen as crucial for reducing power consumption and cooling burdens in AI data centers that heavily utilize high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs).

The collaboration will involve integrated demonstrations connecting S-OIL's "S-OIL e-cooling solution" with GST's cooling equipment and Sungkyunkwan University's GPU servers. S-OIL will supply the coolant and provide technical support, while Sungkyunkwan University's Supercomputing Center will offer the operational environment, including GPU servers. GST will manage the cooling equipment and analyze the demonstration data.

The project, linked to a Ministry of Science and ICT project, is scheduled to run until May 2029. The partners plan to assess the cooling performance, stability, and long-term reliability of the liquid immersion technology. Successful results could pave the way for commercializing next-generation data center thermal management solutions. Sungkyunkwan University's Supercomputing Center is noted for holding the largest GPU resources among South Korean university supercomputing centers.

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Through demonstrations utilizing the nation's top-tier supercomputing operating environment, we will enhance the competitiveness of liquid immersion cooling technology and broaden our cooperation base in the AI infrastructure sector.