The new partnership combines advanced cooling technologies with innovative data center designs to optimize operational efficiency through heat reuse and redefine performance standards in data centers.
Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Amsterdam, The Netherlands – October 4th, 2023 – CoolIT Systems, a global leader in advanced cooling technology, and Switch Datacenters, a leading sustainable data center operator and developer, are thrilled to unveil a strategic partnership that will benefit an industry seeking to improve the sustainability of data centers.
Following the recent release of the World Economic Forum’s Top 10 Emerging Technologies, featuring “Sustainable Computing” as the 9th-ranked emerging technology, the collaboration between Switch Datacenters and CoolIT facilitates data center space and the necessary technology to significantly curtail energy and water consumption inherent in modern data centers.
With a history spanning more than a decade, Switch Datacenters has consistently demonstrated a commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability. Their latest 45MW AMS6 data center near the Schiphol airport area features an HPC/AI-ready design that uses data center heat to warm adjacent greenhouses. Currently under development, their AMS5s is designed to make a significant contribution to the Amsterdam municipal heat grid with green, CO2-neutral heat. For both data centers, there’s a marked preference for liquid cooling because it allows heat extraction at temperatures higher than traditional air cooling, offering enhanced economic value.
CoolIT Systems is the industry-leading provider of efficient Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) and Rear Door Heat Exchangers (RDHx) that enable heat reuse and help customers meet key Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets. CoolIT DLC technology is featured as a factory-installed, warranty-approved feature from most major servers OEMs.
“CoolIT’s DLC and RDHx technologies have been instrumental in various data center heat reuse projects for years, with customers reporting at minimum a savings of 10% on energy bills (OPEX), more than 50% on CAPEX spends, and examples of PUE lowered from 1.30 to 1.02,” expressed Peggy Burroughs, Director of CoolIT Next. “Our collaborations with most major server OEMs have cultivated an expansive ecosystem for clients aspiring to achieve both business and ESG goals.”
“CoolIT is the right company to help make our vision a reality at an industrial scale. Both CoolIT and Switch Datacenters have shared the same passion for sustainable innovation for years and truly want to elevate the industry’s adoption of liquid cooling. We believe liquid cooling will be the game-changer in the next wave of sustainable data center designs, and CoolIT is one of the very few companies that can lead this upcoming demand, thanks to their long history of innovation, reliability, breadth of portfolio, and capabilities to scale with their numerous IT partners worldwide,” says Gregor Snip, CEO of Switch Datacenters.
Data centers are projected to account for 8% of the global electricity consumption by 20301. Technologies such as Direct Liquid Cooling can significantly reduce data center energy consumption by 25-40% and deliver water savings of 70-97%, depending on local climate and specific implementations2.
Switch Datacenters is leading the charge in embracing sustainable alternatives for heating by reusing data center-generated heat. With their latest project, Switch Datacenters AMS6, they will revolutionize the way nearby greenhouses are heated by providing high-temperature heat from their data center. This innovative solution will replace traditional fossil fuel-based heating and contribute to a greener future. By harnessing the power of IT servers to generate green heat for large-scale crop cultivation, Switch Datacenters is driving the transition away from fossil fuels. They strongly advocate for the integration of heat-recapture-enabled data centers in areas with high demand for heat, making it a standard design principle. With the world calling for sustainable IT and data centers, the time is ripe for this much-needed change.
With the combined expertise of CoolIT and Switch Datacenters, customers can now harness technologically advanced solutions that not only result in considerable energy and water savings but also contribute significantly to the global drive for reduced environmental impact, aligning with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals of Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG 9), and Climate Action (SDG 13).
About CoolIT Systems:
CoolIT Systems is renowned for its scalable liquid cooling solutions tailored for the world’s most challenging computing contexts. In both enterprise data centers and high-performance computing domains, CoolIT collaborates with global OEM server design leaders, formulating efficient and trustworthy liquid cooling solutions. In the desktop enthusiast arena, CoolIT delivers unmatched performance for a diverse range of gaming setups. Their modular Direct Liquid Cooling technology, Rack DLC™, empowers dramatic spikes in rack densities, component efficacy, and power savings. Jointly, CoolIT and its allies are pioneering the large-scale adoption of sophisticated cooling techniques.
About Switch Datacenters:
Switch Datacenters is a Dutch privately-owned data center operator and developer founded in 2010 by Gregor Snip and his brother. Initially established as a private data center for their successful hosting company, the Amsterdam-based company later expanded into a fully-fledged commercial data center operator. It added several highly efficient and environmentally-friendly data center sites to its portfolio, with a current focus on constructing and managing wholesale data centers for large global customers while also providing tailor-made data center services.
Switch Datacenters is an ambitious, 100% Dutch player in the Amsterdam data center sector, experiencing rapid growth by continually partnering with leading and globally recognized industry players and customers. The company maintains a steadfast commitment to innovative and sustainable site development. Currently, Switch Datacenters has over 200MW of new sustainable data center capacity in development. This year, it will launch its flagship sustainable data center, AMS4, with major customers having already pre-leased the 15-18MW facility.
To explore the possibilities this partnership can offer or to schedule a discussion with our team, please contact us at sales@switchdatacenters.com
[1] “On Global Electricity Usage of Communication Technology: Trends to 2030,” Challenges, 201
[2] Dale A. Sartor, Paolo G. Gagliolo, and Magnus K. Herrlin. 2017. “Liquid Cooling v. Air Cooling Evaluation in the Maui High-Performance Computing Center”. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9b37m7q6
