International. Vertiv and Compass Datacenters announced a collaboration to develop the first-of-its-kind solution that will facilitate future AI deployments.
According to the companies, this technological proposal will have the ability to switch between liquid and air cooling to support high-density computing. Vertiv and Compass engineers collaborated on this vision to create a future-focused cooling solution, and Vertiv was responsible for the development and manufacture of this technology solution. The first units will be deployed at one of Compass' facilities in the first quarter of 2025 as part of a multi-year, multi-million dollar procurement agreement.
The Vertiv CoolPhase Flex, the latest generation of the high-efficiency Vertiv Liebert DSE Packaged System, integrates liquid cooling functions with refrigerant-based air cooling and heat removal technologies in a single factory system. As data center customers plan their growth strategies, the Vertiv CoolPhase Flex can first be used as a direct expansion (DX) cooling system with built-in economization to support reliable and efficient air cooling; Then, as more high-density computing is deployed, liquid cooling functions can be easily and quickly connected to support liquid cooling applications.
"Our customers are looking for fast, practical, and energy-efficient ways to introduce liquid cooling to support AI and other high-density applications, but they want the flexibility to leverage air cooling and support mixed loads in the same facility," said Chris Crosby, CEO of Compass. "We had a vision for a future where we could be prepared to rapidly implement liquid or air cooling to meet changing customer needs and Vertiv has made this vision a reality in a very innovative way. The Vertiv CoolPhase Flex offers a level of flexibility that is unmatched in the market and extremely valuable to us and our customers," added Crosby.
"AI is not only changing data centers, but also the way industry players collaborate to facilitate growth. Data center operators, customers, chipmakers, infrastructure providers, utilities, and others must work closely together to innovate and reduce barriers to AI adoption," said Giordano (Gio) Albertazzi, CEO of Vertiv.
"Compass Datacenters and Vertiv engineers worked together to make this important project a reality. The Vertiv CoolPhase Flex makes it possible to support today's IT and facilitate the data center of the future. Thanks to our extensive experience and understanding of the complexities of AI applications, Vertiv was the only one able to bring this solution to market," added Albertazzi.
