The Importance of Server Heat Sink Coolers in Big Data Centers
Heatsinks
Large data center servers are a crucial part of modern computing infrastructure, capable of processing and storing massive amounts of data. However, these servers generate a significant amount of heat, which, if not properly managed, can lead to performance issues or even hardware failures. Heatsinks are one of the most critical cooling solutions for large data center servers, playing an essential role in maintaining optimal operating temperatures for server components.
What is a heatsink?
A heatsink is a device that helps dissipate the heat generated by electronic components such as CPUs, GPUs, and other hardware parts within a server. Heatsinks are typically made of metal and feature fins or other structures to increase the surface area exposed to air, enabling more efficient heat transfer. In large data center servers, heatsinks are often used in combination with other cooling solutions, such as fans or liquid cooling systems, to maintain stable temperatures inside the servers.
Why are heatsinks important for large data center servers?
Because of the large number of components and processing power, large data center servers produce substantial heat. If left unchecked, this heat can cause a range of performance problems, including system crashes, data loss, and hardware failures. Heatsinks play a key role in mitigating these issues by dissipating heat from critical components, reducing the risk of overheating, and ensuring consistent performance.
Recently, during a peak shopping period at a certain e-commerce platform, the IDC cooling system failed, causing server room temperatures to rise rapidly and resulting in a 12-hour outage. Reportedly, the losses exceeded 100 million yuan.
It is well known that the data center industry is one of the key foundational industries for implementing the national big data strategy over the next 5 to 10 years. As globalization gradually transitions into a digital era, China has also made digital economy development a national strategy, and the scale of data centers is continuously growing.
Although the data center industry may seem small, its electricity consumption is staggering. In the era of large AI models, this issue becomes even more pronounced. It is reported that electricity costs account for 60% of large model training expenses, with a single training run costing as much as 7.2 million US dollars in electricity. Data from Kezhi Consulting shows that the proportion of national electricity consumption by data centers is increasing year by year, now accounting for roughly 2% to 4% of total social electricity use. Within the data center energy consumption, cooling systems account for 30% to 40%.
Only sufficiently powerful heatsinks can ensure the normal operation of large data centers; otherwise, cooling issues like those experienced by the mentioned e-commerce platform will occur.
Types of Heatsinks for Large Data Center Servers
There are several types of heatsinks available for large data center servers, each with its own advantages and limitations. Some common types include:
Passive Heatsinks: Passive heatsinks rely entirely on natural convection for heat dissipation. They are usually made of aluminum or copper and are well suited for applications where noise and power consumption are a concern.
Active Heatsinks: Active heatsinks incorporate fans or other mechanical devices to increase airflow and improve cooling. They are ideal for high-performance applications that require enhanced cooling capacity.
Liquid Heatsinks: Liquid heatsinks use liquid coolants (such as water or oil) to transfer heat away from components. They are generally more efficient than passive or active heatsinks but are also more expensive and complex to install.
Composite Heatsinks: Composite heatsinks combine multiple materials, such as metals and plastics, to balance cost, performance, and weight.
Liquid cooling technology uses liquids instead of air as the cooling medium to transfer heat from heat-generating components. Compared to traditional air cooling, liquids have a specific heat capacity thousands of times higher, significantly improving cooling efficiency. Data shows that liquid cooling systems save about 30% to 50% more electricity than air cooling systems, effectively helping data centers reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions.
As a new energy-saving technology, liquid cooling has also received support and promotion from various government departments. Wu Xiaohui, Director of the Data Center Engineering Department at the China Academy of Building Research, told 36Carbon, “Currently, policies from Beijing Municipal Government, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology all emphasize support for the use of liquid cooling technology. The energy-saving technology equipment recommendation catalog released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in November 2022 also proposed applying liquid cooling technology, enabling the PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness, an indicator evaluating data center energy efficiency) to reach below 1.1.”
Of course, liquid cooling technology is not perfect. For computer cabinets with power consumption between 6 kW and 8 kW, the initial construction cost of liquid cooling is about 10% to 20% higher than air cooling; for 10 kW, the construction costs of air and liquid cooling are roughly the same; but when the power density reaches 20 kW, liquid cooling actually becomes more cost-effective. As power density increases further, the construction cost advantage of liquid cooling becomes more pronounced.
With the arrival of the large model era, server power consumption continues to rise, driving rapid growth in demand for liquid cooling solutions. The penetration rate of liquid cooling solutions in data centers is expected to keep increasing, supporting data center energy savings, carbon reduction, and China’s dual-carbon goals.
