What is Global Switch’s Liquid Cooling for Data Centres?

As AI workloads grow and data centres reach higher densities, operators face pressure to balance performance with sustainability.

Liquid cooling, which replaces air with a fluid-based method to remove heat, now presents a compelling environmental and technical solution.

By removing heat more efficiently than air-based systems, it enables denser computing and cuts carbon emissions.

To address both rising demand and environmental expectations, Global Switch has opened Europe’s first dedicated liquid cooling showcase at its London Docklands facility.

This new demonstration suite marks a strategic shift in how data centre infrastructure adapts to support both growth and sustainability.

A sustainable path through innovation

Founded in 1998, Global Switch is a leading provider of large-scale, carrier and cloud-neutral data centres across Europe and Asia-Pacific.

With facilities designed to support mission-critical services, the company’s infrastructure powers connectivity hubs and advanced AI deployments.

Its London presence, situated in the Docklands and including the site of the former Financial Times printing press, offers unmatched proximity to key business centres.

This gives Global Switch flexibility to serve the full range of market requirements.

"Across all our data centres worldwide, we are offering customers an opportunity to benefit from truly flexible infrastructure — including a complete suite of liquid cooling options,” says Chief Executive Officer Ashley Muldoon.

“Densification is the key to unlocking the potential of the most advanced AI and HPC workloads and continues to sit at the heart of our investment plans.”

Global Switch’s latest initiative reflects how operators are responding to the sustainability concerns of AI and cloud computing.

Its Liquid Cooling Suite features live demonstrations to show how next-generation systems can reduce environmental impact while delivering higher performance.

“Our London Campus is at the forefront of data centre technological innovation, not just in London but across the world," explains Adam Eaton, Executive Group Director for Europe.

“Liquid cooling technologies will enable us to capture the growth expected in this market, meeting the vital digital infrastructure needs of the city’s most innovative businesses.”

Liquid cooling showcase sets a new standard

To meet the increasing power needs of AI and high-performance computing (HPC), Global Switch’s London campus now hosts four live cooling systems, designed in partnership with suppliers including LiquidStack and SuperMicro.

These systems use direct-to-chip and immersion methods, allowing facilities to support more powerful chips while maintaining efficient energy use.

Key benefits of these systems include:

• Improved energy efficiency

• Higher rack density and compute performance

• Reduced carbon impact

• Lower ongoing costs

At the heart of the facility is the Accelsius Thermal Simulation Rack.

This system simulates the real heat output of AI and HPC environments, allowing customers to test new cooling approaches in real time without risking operational disruption.

 “We are trying to be at the forefront of liquid cooling," Ben Ryder, Solutions Engineering Director at Global Switch told Data Centre Magazine at Global Switch’s showcase.

“We are speaking directly with suppliers and rack integrators and we have open engagement with a number of our customers.

"We demonstrate here a lot of technologies that many may not be particularly aware of and that shows where we are.

“We’ve pulled everything we’re aware of and excited about into this showcase.”

Chief Commercial Officer Matthew Dent adds: “Our customers are still exploring new technologies themselves and how they can best utilise it,"

“We’re helping them on that journey.”

Preparing for the AI-powered future

Global Switch’s London campus is expanding to meet projected demand.

With AI investment in the capital reaching £2.9bn (US$3.9bn) in 2024, the city is fast becoming Europe’s largest data centre hub.

Analysts forecast that London’s data centre capacity will double between 2025 and 2026, despite pressure on space and energy.

Global Switch is responding with major development across its Docklands locations.

London East, which includes the redeveloped Financial Times facility, is undergoing a capacity upgrade.

Meanwhile, construction has begun on London South, a 35MW facility expected to complete in 2027.

When all phases are finished, the full London campus will offer 160MW of capacity.

The company has secured 224MVA of power and is targeting both hyperscalers and smaller AI firms.

“While there is a lot of discussion around AI and high-performance compute, there’s still very much demand for traditional colocation space with enterprise companies,” Adam Eaton says.

Other areas such as Slough have reached capacity, making east London, particularly the Spice Docks, a focus for expansion.

“The Spice Docks will be a significant campus development on the east side," comments Adam. 

"There is a lot of demand in the east end of London so the fact that we have our 224MVA secured coming into this site, we’re seeing a lot of growth, hence supporting the growth of our campus.” 

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