Policy and Technology Double Drive Liquid Cooling to Become Standard AI Computing Infrastructure
In April, Chinese authorities issued new policies to mandate efficient cooling adoption and tighten energy efficiency standards for new intelligent computing centers. On June 21, NVIDIA officially launched its Vera Rubin platform with a 100% full liquid cooling design, removing all cooling fans and replacing traditional rubber hoses with rigid metal manifolds. As policy constraints and chip industry standards upgrade, liquid cooling has shifted from an optional feature to a must-have foundation for AI computing expansion. Surging single-rack power density has rendered air cooling obsolete. A complete data center liquid cooling system forms the full thermal circulation chain from chips, cold plates and pipelines to CDU heat exchange, pump-valve circulation, chiller heat dissipation and real-time sensor monitoring, with technical barriers growing closer to core chips.
Cold plates are precision metal heat sinks fitted directly on chip surfaces, with microchannels that carry coolant to dissipate chip heat instantly. Global mainstream suppliers include AVC, Auras and Boyd. Domestically, Invicool is qualified for NVIDIA MGX and NVL72 ecosystems, while Gaolan Technology covers cold-plate, immersion and container liquid cooling solutions. The core barrier lies in micron-level microchannel processing; tiny dimensional deviations cause chip hotspots and hardware aging. Though domestic manufacturers are upgrading precision manufacturing capabilities, long-term high-power reliability verification remains ongoing. Equipped with high-precisiondata center liquid cooling manifold structures, high-quality cold plates deliver fail-safe heat dissipation for core computing hardware.
Coolant absorbs heat via cold plates, circulates to CDU for cooling, and is pumped back to form a closed loop. NVIDIA’s new standard eliminates unreliable rubber hoses and enforces rigid metal pipelines, which require high-precision docking and flawless welding for stable long-term operation. Domestic players have achieved notable breakthroughs: Chuanhuan Technology holds UL4501 certification and supplies Cooler Master and Invicool. AVIC Optoelectronic and Shenglan Stock provide high-performance liquid cooling quick connectors, while Feilong Stock delivers mass-producible electronic cooling pumps. Balancing reliability and cost has become the core principle for scalable high density data center cooling deployment in AI scenarios.
CDU serves as the core hub connecting internal server circulation and external heat exchange, precisely regulating coolant temperature, flow and pressure for continuous stable operation. Three mainstream coolant solutions cover low-cost glycol-water, insulating fluorinated liquid and mid-priced mineral oil. Following 3M’s phase-out of PFAS fluorinated liquids in 2025, domestic brands including Longpan Technology, Tongyi Stock and Yongtai Technology have filled supply gaps with certified coolant products. Invicool, Gaolan Technology and Tongfei Stock offer mature CDU products widely adopted by top server manufacturers. Far beyond simple mechanical equipment, CDU integrates intelligent regulation algorithms that determine overall energy efficiency. Customizable high efficiency liquid cooling infrastructure centered on CDU and coolant systems features high customer stickiness and strong deployment irreplaceability.
Liquid cooling pumps drive coolant circulation between cold plates and CDUs, while compressors support chiller refrigeration cycles. Long dominated by foreign brands, these core components now see breakthroughs from domestic suppliers. Dayuan Pump Industry and Nanfang Pump Industry deliver reliable circulating pumps for data centers, while Dunham Bush and Snowman Stock provide professional compressor and cold-source equipment. Such components require ultra-long operational verification, with 100,000-hour fault-free performance validated by real-site operation rather than laboratory data. Uninterrupted data center operation raises high replacement costs and user loyalty, underpinning stable GPU cabinet air liquid CDU operation in high-load scenarios.
Chillers and terminal temperature control systems undertake final outdoor heat dissipation and indoor precision temperature regulation, directly determining data center PUE. Domestic brands Haier and Midea continue expanding chiller market share, while Imeacon, Jiatuli, Shenling Environment and Chuanrun Stock supply precision air conditioners, heat exchangers and cooling towers. Natural cooling has emerged as a key energy-saving trend, enabling free outdoor cooling in winter and reshaping data center site selection toward low-temperature regions. This optimization greatly improves the annual energy efficiency of mainstream AI server air liquid cooling CDU systems.
Intelligent monitoring and control systems are critical safety guarantees for liquid cooling operation. Sensor networks real-time monitor coolant status to trigger millisecond-level alarms and emergency shutdowns against leakage and blockage risks that may burn out full racks. H3C, Hanwei Technology and Shenhao Technology provide integrated liquid cooling O&M platforms, leakage detection and intelligent inspection solutions. The core challenge lies in balancing sensor sensitivity to avoid false alarms and missed faults. Mature liquid CDU cooling system performance relies on iterative optimization of hardware selection and alarm logic, backed by long-term operational data accumulation.
Liquid cooling industry pricing power distributes along the heat transmission chain: cold plates rely on microchannel precision, pipelines depend on welding reliability and cost control, CDU and coolant compete via algorithms and material purity, pumps and chillers win by long-term operational stability, and monitoring systems dominate through high-precision algorithms. Driven by rising AI computing density and unified industry standards, high-performance, customizable server air liquid CDU unit solutions will continue to iterate and popularize, leading the low-carbon and high-quality upgrade of global intelligent computing infrastructure.
At EXTRCOOL, we're redefining AI data center cooling. Our comprehensive product line includes air-liquid CDUs, cold plate assemblies, manifolds, and piping—available in both standard and custom configurations. Engineered for peak thermal performance and minimal carbon impact, our solutions scale seamlessly to gigawatt-level hyperscale facilities, delivering the dependability that global AI infrastructure demands.
Explore our full specifications or discuss your customized project at: https://www.extrcool.com
