South Korean LG Electronics (LG) has unveiled a series of advanced cooling systems for data centers. This includes chillers, air and water cooling systems for servers, and a special product — LG Building Energy Control (BECON), the company’s press center reports. The new equipment and software are expected to open the way for the company to the North American data center equipment market.
LG’s hybrid chip-to-chip and room-to-room cooling solutions are designed for next-generation AI data centers with high-density computing power. For nodes, the company uses direct liquid chip cooling and a proprietary modular CDU (Coolant Distribution Unit) that uses a highly efficient “exclusive” inverter pump and heat exchanger. The compactness of the CDU allows for various configurations of up to eight units.
The system has a built-in 10.4″ touch screen, which simplifies system control and maintenance. Sensors (physical and virtual) provide timely diagnostics. Moreover, CDU uses LG Active Load Sharing technology to optimize performance for each load, which generally increases the efficiency of the system.
Image source: LG
LG has also developed its own water blocks that are ready to handle the latest high-TDP accelerators. The solution uses parallel supply of coolant to the chips to ensure high heat dissipation rates. Microchannels (Skived Fin) are used to maximize the heat exchange area. Moreover, the water block can be customized using AI for specific chips. To minimize the risk of coolant leakage, LG uses special soldering, and each water block is triple-checked.
The LG Water-Cooled Oil-Free Centrifugal Chiller, according to the company, delivers exceptional energy efficiency thanks to the use of proprietary LeviTech magnetic bearings. This technology, combined with AI control, helps reduce energy loss, improve reliability, and facilitate rapid recovery from unexpected power outages. The oil-free inverter chiller uses eco-friendly refrigerants.
Air-cooled chillers (ACC) are available in both inverter screw and oil-free centrifugal designs and include important components such as LG’s own screw compressor. With free-cooling support, ACC can seamlessly switch from refrigerant-cooled to free-cooled (refrigerant-free) cooling, increasing system reliability and efficiency. Special mechanisms prevent interruptions in operation, and a three-stage oil return system further increases system reliability and safety.
Image source: LG
The ideal complement to the ACC is the Computer Room Air Handler (CRAH), which uses electronically commutated (EC) fans with power factor correction and 3D blades, as well as special heat exchangers to minimize energy costs. In addition, the CRAH has a modular grille design, simplifying installation and maintenance.
For future solutions, the newly formed LG HVAC Solution Lab has a test rig that can accurately simulate various equipment usage scenarios under different environmental conditions.
All solutions, from chiller units to D2C systems and room cooling equipment, can be easily managed using BECON, a single centralized platform for managing and monitoring server cooling and chiller systems. It coordinates the operation of each connected solution to ensure the desired temperature and humidity levels. At the same time, data is analyzed to ensure maximum energy efficiency of LG solutions.