How Flex & Equinix Drive Sustainable Cooling Innovation

As global data centre operators innovate to meet burgeoning net zero goals and ESG ambitions, cooling is a core consideration in their endeavours.

Flex, a global leader in manufacturing and data centre infrastructure solutions, has expanded its presence in sustainable cooling through a rack-level breakthrough at the Equinix Co-Innovation Facility (CIF) in Ashburn, Virginia.

The project has elevated awareness on the increasing importance of scalable, high-density cooling systems in meeting the demands of next-generation compute environments – with a particular emphasis on energy and water efficiency.

Demonstrating direct liquid cooling technology

Flex’s deployment integrates standalone and facility-integrated single-phase direct liquid cooling (DLC) technologies, developed by JetCool – a Flex company specialising in advanced thermal management.

The solution is contained within a single OCP Open Rack Version 3 (ORv3), uniting rack, power and cooling infrastructure manufactured end-to-end by Flex, designed to tackle power and heat challenges worldwide.

A central feature is JetCool’s SmartPlate System for Dell PowerEdge R760 servers, which delivers closed-loop cooling without the need for external coolant distribution units or additional facility plumbing. This enables a straightforward shift from traditional air cooling to liquid cooling, minimising operational disruption for data centre operators. 

The system has achieved a 15% reduction in IT power consumption, which allows operators to maximise compute capabilities in power-constrained settings.

Sustainable cooling for high-density compute

Flex has also introduced DLC capabilities for Dell PowerEdge R660 platforms, incorporating JetCool cold plates engineered to operate with coolant inlet temperatures up to 70°C. 

This innovation reduces water usage by as much as 90% and cuts cooling power demand by up to 50% compared to alternative liquid cooling methods. 

The SmartSense 6U Liquid-to-Liquid (L2L) cooling distribution unit supports cooling loads of up to 300kW and interfaces directly with Equinix’s secondary cooling loop, supporting full DLC operation.

Within the ORv3 rack, additional manifold, busbar and quick disconnect solutions allow all liquid cooling functions to be managed within a single integrated unit.

Rob Campbell, President of Communications, Enterprise and Cloud Business at Flex, said: “We are proud to bring Flex’s high-performance, energy-efficient liquid cooling solutions into data centre facilities such as the Equinix CIF. 

“This milestone builds on our longstanding collaboration with Equinix across power and cooling infrastructure. 

“As the demand for AI and HPC workloads continues to accelerate, Flex’s end-to-end portfolio will enable data centre operators to bring infrastructure to market faster.”

Scaling liquid cooling infrastructure

Building on its presence at the CIF and a track record of deploying products across global facilities, Flex’s innovative project highlights its ability to deliver scalable, consolidated liquid cooling infrastructure to support high-density compute environments. 

As one of the world's largest manufacturers, Flex produces millions of servers each year, which positions it to deliver extensive integration and supply chain expertise to the industry.

Flex also offers comprehensive lifecycle support for its cooling solutions, including service, maintenance and warranties covering everything from cold plates to manifolds and CDU systems. This end-to-end coverage sets Flex apart in a sector increasingly focused on reliability and operational continuity.

Part of the project’s objective is to show how JetCool’s single-phase approach — capable of cooling up to 4kW per processor socket with considerable headroom for greater loads — can fuel energy and resource savings as the industry migrates to higher-performance, more sustainable computing.

Collaborative innovation at Equinix

The pursuit of sustainable data centre solutions for next-generation critical environments would not be possible without collaboration – and here, Equinix has been a critical enabler for JetCool.

Pawel Wlodarczak, Innovation Director at Equinix, said: “The Equinix Co-Innovation Facility provides a collaborative environment where emerging infrastructure technologies can be tested and refined for real-world, high-density compute environments. 

“Demonstrations like this help our partners explore new approaches to meeting our customers’ performance and sustainability needs.”