Flex Advances Sustainable Cooling for Data Centre Operations

As data centre operators worldwide work towards net zero targets and broader environmental goals, sustainable cooling has emerged as a critical factor in reducing the sector's carbon footprint.

Flex, a global manufacturing and data centre infrastructure solutions provider, has demonstrated its commitment to environmentally conscious cooling through a rack-level installation at the Equinix Co-Innovation Facility (CIF) in Ashburn, Virginia.

The deployment has highlighted the growing need for scalable, high-density cooling systems capable of supporting next-generation compute demands whilst prioritising energy conservation and water reduction.

Integrating direct liquid cooling solutions

The Flex installation features standalone and facility-integrated single-phase direct liquid cooling (DLC) technologies, developed by JetCool – a Flex company focused on advanced thermal management.

Housed within a single OCP Open Rack Version 3 (ORv3), the solution combines rack, power and cooling infrastructure manufactured entirely by Flex, addressing thermal and power challenges facing the industry.

At the core of the system is JetCool's SmartPlate System for Dell PowerEdge R760 servers, which provides closed-loop cooling. This eliminates the requirement for external coolant distribution units or additional facility plumbing.

This allows data centre operators to transition from conventional air cooling to liquid cooling with minimal disruption to ongoing operations.

According to Flex, the system has delivered a 15% reduction in IT power consumption, enabling operators to enhance compute capacity within power-limited environments.

Reducing resource consumption in compute infrastructure

Flex has also deployed DLC capabilities for Dell PowerEdge R660 platforms, featuring JetCool cold plates designed to function with coolant inlet temperatures reaching up to 70C.

This advancement could reduce water consumption by as much as 90% and lower cooling power requirements by up to 50% when compared to other liquid cooling approaches.

The SmartSense 6U Liquid-to-Liquid (L2L) cooling distribution unit (CDU) accommodates cooling loads of up to 300 kW and connects directly with Equinix's secondary cooling loop, enabling complete DLC functionality.

Within the ORv3 rack, additional manifold, busbar and quick disconnect components allow all liquid cooling operations to be managed within a single integrated unit.

Rob Campbell, President of Communications, Enterprise and Cloud Business at Flex, says: "We are proud to bring Flex's high-performance, energy-efficient liquid cooling solutions into data centre facilities such as the Equinix CIF.

"This milestone builds on our longstanding collaboration with Equinix across power and cooling infrastructure.

"As the demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads continues to accelerate, Flex's end-to-end portfolio will enable data centre operators to bring infrastructure to market faster."

Delivering scalable cooling for sustainable computing

Building on its presence at the CIF and a history of product deployments across international facilities, Flex's installation demonstrates its capacity to provide scalable, consolidated liquid cooling infrastructure. This supports high-density compute applications.

As one of the world's largest manufacturers, Flex produces millions of servers annually, which positions the company to offer extensive integration and supply chain capabilities to the sector.

Flex also provides comprehensive lifecycle support for its cooling solutions, including service, maintenance and warranties covering components from cold plates to manifolds and CDU systems.

This end-to-end support could differentiate Flex in an industry increasingly focused on reliability and operational continuity.

Part of the installation's purpose is to demonstrate how JetCool's single-phase approach can drive energy and resource savings.

The approach is capable of cooling up to four kW per processor socket with substantial capacity for higher loads as the industry transitions to more efficient, environmentally conscious computing infrastructure.

Pawel Wlodarczak, Innovation Director at Equinix, says: "The Equinix Co-Innovation Facility provides a collaborative environment where emerging infrastructure technologies can be tested and refined for real-world, high-density compute environments.

"Demonstrations like this help our partners explore new approaches to meeting our customers' performance and sustainability needs."