Daikin Applied Europe and CTS Group have announced a patented cooling concept for data centers designed to reduce cooling energy use and increase the electrical capacity available for IT equipment. The jointly developed system is designed to support projected Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) values as low as 1.09 in Nordic climates and below 1.20 under assessed Middle Eastern ambient conditions.
The concept combines Daikin cooling technologies, controls and application expertise with CTS Group’s modular engineering, system integration and prefabrication capabilities. Its projected PUE levels depend on climatic conditions, the proportion of IT load served by liquid cooling, system configuration and operating conditions. The design maximises free cooling and optimises the facility water system to reduce cooling energy requirements.
Developed for high-density AI environments, the concept combines an enhanced facility water system and maximised free cooling with an optimised system design and dedicated buffer pipe technology. It is designed to respond rapidly to fluctuations in server heat load while maintaining stable water temperatures supplied to Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs) managing liquid-cooled AI servers.
According to the companies, the system’s dynamic response has been validated through full-scale factory testing under representative AI load profiles and during electrical short-break events. The companies said higher cooling efficiency can also reduce electricity consumption for cooling and allow more of a facility’s available electrical capacity to be allocated to IT equipment.
CTS Group designs and prefabricates factory-tested cooling skids incorporating Daikin chillers and CDUs alongside other core cooling components. The collaboration between Daikin and CTS Group began in 2023.
