Cargill launches plant-based dielectric data centre cooling

Designed to offer a more sustainable alternative to immersion cooling, Cargill’s newest bio industrial product, the NatureCoolÔ 2000 fluid, is the first ever plant-based dielectric immersion cooling fluid. 

The cooling fluid is designed for global use in data centres, cryptocurrency mining and a wide range of other advanced industry applications. 

“Immersion cooling is the new frontier of technologies that allows for more efficient, higher performing systems that also help make the IT industry more sustainable,” said Kurtis Miller, the Managing Director of Cargill’s bio industrial business. 

“In just the last 10 years, data centre power usage has increased from several hundred kilowatts to several hundred megawatts, an over 1,000 times increase. As chip density continues to rise and the amount of data generated seems endless, we need to find more efficient and sustainable ways to operate these complex systems.”

The details of Cargill’s new sustainable data centre cooling solution 

Cargill’s fluid is made from more than 90% vegetable oil, which is a renewable resource. 

Compared to conventional air cooling solutions, this allows for over 1,000 times more cooling capacity and up to 60% less energy usage.

The fluid is CO2 neutral, with a Global Warming Potential of zero, and has a 10% higher heat capacity than the current leading synthetic immersion cooling fluids. 

What’s more, it also achieves a higher level of fire safety standards, as it has a notably high flash point of 325°C and, unlike synthetic fluids, NatureCool fluid doesn’t self-ignite and its flames will extinguish after the heat source is removed.

“We were seeing businesses with huge losses on both ends of the energy use spectrum – from inefficient cooling of processors upfront – to not having the ability to capture and reuse generated heat on the back end,” said Stephane Gauthier, partner and CEO of Mindful Energy Solutions, Inc. 

“Now, by utilizing the heat held in the immersion cooling fluid, we’re seeing some customers cover 100% of their annual heating cost in facilities that are over 10,000 square feet, representing huge savings while being more sustainable.”