Podcast #137: AI Is Forcing Data Centers to Go Liquid

If you attended Data Center World 2025 in Washington, DC, it would have been challenging to walk far before finding another liquid cooling solution. Each is unique with a special sauce. We have been following the innovations to get more from the compute side, and most solutions point to liquid cooling. One of the companies we have worked with is CoolIT. They just released the CHx2000 at DCW, and we were there to talk to Luca Cutrone, Director of Business Development at CoolIT.

Luca’s LinkedIn profile describes him as a “fun-loving technophile” with over a decade of leadership experience. Following a seven-month break, Luca joined CoolIT in January 2024, and it appears to be a great fit. Luca’s focus throughout his career has been on customer success, and he carries that mission forward in his work at CoolIT.

Brian caught up with Luka Cabrone in the CoolIT booth at Data Center World to discuss the latest innovations in liquid cooling. The conversation focused on CoolIT’s new product launches, the evolving data center cooling landscape, and the practical challenges of implementing advanced cooling solutions in today’s high-density environments. It was recorded live on the show floor.

More information about CoolIT can be found in Brian’s review of their direct liquid-cooled architecture.

If you are interested in liquid cooling technology, this podcast is for you. A lot of ground is covered in this short podcast. However, if you don’t have time to watch it in one sitting, we’ve broken down the conversation highlights into five-minute segments so that you can skip around.

• 00:00–05:00: Introduction
  • CoolIT’s new 2000 liquid CDU is capable of rejecting up to 2 megawatts of heat.
  • The growing need for liquid cooling in high-density chips and AI is discussed.
  • Educating the market on transitioning to liquid cooling.
• 05:00–10:00: Innovations
  • The real-world benefits of liquid cooling include power savings and reduced fan usage.
  • A University of Chicago case study shows a 37% power savings in a lab environment.
  • Quieter, cooler labs are a benefit of liquid-cooled environments.
  • Optimizing power delivery is essential as rack densities increase.
• 10:00–15:00: Immersion cooling
  • The chemistry behind CoolIT’s cooling systems— using a propylene glycol-water mix.
  • Emphasis on filtration and system cleanliness for cold plate microchannels.
  • Single-phase vs. two-phase cooling, with CoolIT focused on single-phase.
  • Immersion cooling and the engineering behind CoolIT’s 4000-watt cold plate.
• 15:00–20:00: How to acquire CoolIT solutions
  • The buying process for CoolIT’s solutions and integration into operations is explained.
  • CoolIT works with OEMs for factory integration, and facilities teams manage the infrastructure.
  • OCP is pushing for standardization, but challenges remain around warranty and compatibility.
• 20:00–End: Challenges
  • The future challenges of managing increasing heat loads are discussed.
  • The demand for innovative, smart operational tools, such as leak detection and AI-driven monitoring.
  • Industry collaboration on standards is essential.
  • CoolIT is committed to innovation and supporting the data center ecosystem.

As we were walking through the exhibit floor, it was clear that liquid cooling is no longer a niche technology, but a critical enabler for the next generation of data centers.

CoolIT