Data centers require large volumes of water for cooling, creating cost and supply challenges, especially in constrained regions. This technology introduces a hybrid cooling and water treatment approach that enables facilities to internally generate usable water from alternative sources while simultaneously supporting thermal management. In addition, the system provides lower-temperature cooling streams that can help existing data center infrastructure accommodate newer, higher-power chips with greater heat-generation demands. By eliminating dependence on municipal water supplies and improving cooling performance, the system enhances operational resilience, supports scalable deployment in water-constrained regions, and expands the ability of existing data center infrastructure to adopt successive generations of more powerful, higher-heat-load chips through a broader low-temperature cooling capability.
Description
This technology combines a novel freezing-based separation process with an advanced non-contact, non-thermal removal mechanism to produce purified water while generating a low temperature cooling stream. Source water such as saline, brackish, or reclaimed wastewater is processed to enable internal water recovery while simultaneously supporting thermal management. The system is designed to operate across a wide range of water qualities, including high salinity sources, while maintaining compact and efficient operation.
The resulting water can be reused within the facility, including for cooling tower makeup, while the low temperature cooling stream can be integrated with existing cooling infrastructure to supplement thermal management where demand is highest. This supports peak loads, mitigates hot spots, and helps existing data center infrastructure accommodate newer, higher power chips with greater heat generation demands. Its modular configuration supports both retrofit and new build deployment, improving flexibility, resilience, and scalability in water constrained regions.
Benefits
- Reduces reliance on external water sources
- Provides simultaneous cooling and water recovery
- Supplies recovered water for internal facility reuse, including cooling tower makeup
- Supports operation in water constrained regions
- Operates across a broad range of water qualities, including high salinity sources
- Provides low temperature cooling streams that support higher power density GPUs and future chips in existing infrastructure
- Helps address hot spots, peak loads, and transient thermal overloads
- Reduces the need for major cooling infrastructure upgrades
- Supports both retrofit and new build deployment
- Enables compact, modular integration into existing systems
- Minimizes fouling and maintenance through low temperature and non-contact operation
- Improves operational reliability and cost efficiency
Applications and Industries
- Data centers and high-performance computing facilities
- AI and advanced computing infrastructure with increasing rack power density
- Existing data center facilities seeking to support future generations of higher heat load chips
- Industrial facilities requiring integrated cooling and on-site water purification and/or recovery
- Facilities operating in water-constrained or limited water quality regions
- New and retrofit infrastructure requiring resilient cooling and water management
Contact
To learn more about this technology, email [email protected] or call 865-574-1051.
Researchers
Contact
To learn more about this technology, email [email protected] or call 865-574-1051.