Cool running: Castrol’s solutions for data center energy efficiency
Thanks to AI, demand for supercomputing power is growing fast – along with the need for better, more efficient cooling of energy-hungry data centers. Castrol’s Peter Huang, who oversees the data center thermal management team globally, explains how bp is helping to cool the tech on which many parts of the world are increasingly dependent.
We’ve been hearing more and more about data center cooling recently. What has led to its growing importance?
Data centers are increasingly vital in our tech-centered lives, and are one of the world’s fastest-growing industries. Global demand for data center capacity, driven in part by AI, could rise between 19% and 22% annually by 2030, according to consulting firm McKinsey1.
Data centers account for around 1% of global electricity consumption, and up to 2 to 4% of the total electricity used in large economies like the US, China and the EU2. This high usage means that energy is one of the biggest expenses for data centers.
At the same time, semiconductor chips are becoming more powerful, generating more heat, and requiring more energy to run. Around 40% of a data center’s total energy consumption can be required for cooling3.
To make data centers more efficient, effective cooling is key. Traditionally, this has been done with air, but liquid cooling can often cut energy consumption, improve performance and cut costs.
Castrol is primarily known for its automotive lubricants. What led the company to expand into data center cooling?
From a business perspective, there is a strong demand for liquid cooling and the benefits that it brings. The global data center cooling market is expected to reach $16.8 billion by 2028, with forecasts for growth of more than 18%4 (compounded annually).
On our end, it made sense for bp to expand into this industry, given the technology and products needed for liquid data center cooling are very similar to Castrol’s products for cooling engine radiators or energy storage systems. bp and Castrol have the expertise and capabilities to create bespoke solutions to suit the needs of our customers so they can increase efficiency and computing power.
How is Castrol helping customers with data center cooling?
We work with our customers at every stage, from before construction begins through to supplying the liquid cooling products they need.
Moving from air cooling to liquid cooling is a big shift and requires changes to the way data centers have been built. Traditionally, the IT, electrical and mechanical infrastructures were built and maintained separately, but liquid cooling requires integration among all these parts – as well as bespoke solutions depending on the location and needs of the center. For example, a data center in Norway will have different cooling needs than one in Texas. A center in Japan may need to go through earthquake testing, while one in the southeast of the US will likely need to be designed with hurricanes in mind.
We’re already working closely with partners across the industry, including chip and server manufacturers, and companies such as Dell, Supermicro, Submer and Hypertec to develop, test and deliver solutions that work for our customers’ needs.
Just as importantly, we have developed a range of liquid cooling solutions for the two main types of cooling: immersion and direct liquid cooling.
Immersion cooling uses fluids with a very low electrical conductivity so that electrical equipment can be safely submerged without causing a short circuit. The fluid – which is oil-based – takes heat away from the hardware to a heat exchanger, where it can be transferred and utilized elsewhere.
Direct-to-chip cooling doesn’t immerse the entire server and targets the heat-producing parts of the hardware to remove heat.
Both types of cooling help to not only reduce the energy required to run but, ultimately, the bottom line.
Watch this film to find out more about the Castrol Liquid Cooling Center of Excellence in the UK.
What’s next for Castrol on data center cooling?
Our goal is to be the partner of choice for system and hardware manufacturers and data center operators on their journey to adopt liquid cooling. Castrol has more than 125 years of experience and a long history of innovation, together with a global R&D network, expertise in infrastructure project development and a strong cadre of engineers.
As the sector grows, we are excited about the opportunities to deliver a complete data center thermal management offer.
Integrated energy
Data centers are major energy consumers, and the expansion of the industry is putting a strain on power grids in some areas.
bp, through its solar energy business, Lightsource bp, is working with major data center operators to supply solar energy.
That’s the case in Indiana, where Lightsource bp and Google have signed a power purchase agreement for the electricity from Honeysuckle Solar, near South Bend. Google has announced that they are expanding their Midwest presence with a $2 billion data center campus in the state.
While today we’re mostly in oil and gas, we increased the proportion of our global annual investment that went into our lower carbon and other transition businesses from around 3% in 2019 to around 23% in 2023.
