DOE funds $40M projects to revolutionise energy-efficient data center cooling

DOE allocates $40M for 15 innovative projects targeting energy-efficient data center cooling, aiding carbon neutrality goals and climate resilience.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled a substantial $40 million fund to back 15 cutting-edge projects focused on developing energy-efficient cooling solutions for data centers. These facilities, which house critical computing infrastructure, are notorious energy consumers, accounting for about 2% of total U.S. electricity usage. A staggering 40% of this energy consumption can be attributed to the cooling requirements of these data centers. The selected projects, spread across national labs, universities, and businesses, are dedicated to drastically reducing the energy needed to cool these data centers. By achieving this, the projects aim to significantly lower the carbon footprint associated with running and cooling these essential systems, aligning with President Biden’s ambitious aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that climate change and extreme weather events pose threats to the functionality of data centers, which are pivotal to the operation of the technologies that drive our daily lives. Granholm highlighted that the DOE’s support for these projects will ensure the continued functioning of these critical facilities while concurrently curbing carbon emissions and fostering a cleaner energy future.

Funded under the aegis of DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E), the projects fall under the umbrella of the Cooling Operations Optimized for Leaps in Energy, Reliability, and Carbon Hyperefficiency for Information Processing Systems (COOLERCHIPS) program. These endeavors span various innovations, including modular data center designs, advanced liquid cooling solutions, novel thermal management systems, and groundbreaking chip-level cooling technologies. These initiatives collectively aspire to usher in a new era of data center efficiency, curbing energy usage and mitigating environmental impact.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) project particularly stands out, as it aims to develop testing protocols to evaluate the real-world performance of the cooling technologies developed by COOLERCHIPS projects. By creating a digital twin, NREL intends to assess key parameters and test a wide array of technologies in terms of thermal efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.

The DOE’s investment in these pioneering projects signifies a substantial leap toward greener and more sustainable data center operations. The collaboration between national labs, universities, and businesses is set to revolutionize the way data centers are cooled, enabling more efficient energy consumption and reduced environmental harm. This initiative is a significant stride towards achieving President Biden’s ambitious net-zero carbon goal by 2050, while also safeguarding the pivotal infrastructure that powers our interconnected world.