Hardware Podcasts

The truth about data center water usage

Catalyst · 8 Oct 2026 · 44m

What this episode covers

Tim Shedd, founder of Ebullient Insights, explains how the shift from air cooling to single-phase direct-to-chip liquid cooling is transforming data center thermal management. He details how modern GPU racks drawing 220 kW to 500 kW+ require advanced cold plates and manifolds, rendering traditional air cooling obsolete. Shedd argues that while historical data centers used significant water for evaporative cooling, modern designs optimize for higher temperature rejection, drastically reducing water consumption and allowing for closed-loop systems. The discussion also covers the industry's need for greater transparency to address community concerns about local water usage and infrastructure impacts.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Ebullient Insights, NVIDIA, AMD, Dell, HPE, Supermicro, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, GridBeyond, EnergyHub, Valvoline, Daikin, Rheem, Microsoft, Google, Meta, Waymo, Latitude Media
Also
Catalyst

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • Being an Engineer · 48m

    S1E03 This ain’t your grandma’s cooling technology | David Binger

    David Binger, CTO at Forced Physics, explains how his background in computer science and MEMS prototyping led to the development of a static, non-moving heat exchanger for data centers. He details the company's pivot from a large 'Jewel Force Conductor' to a smaller 'Micro Conductor' form factor to fit standard motherboards, addressing the primary hurdle of integration. Binger highlights the technology's ability to eliminate traditional cooling infrastructure, reducing energy consumption by over 90% compared to conventional data center cooling systems.

    Mechanical engineeringEnergy & climate tech
    7 chapters

  • The Circuit · 40m

    Episode 79: Not Your Grandfathers Data Center

    Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss the recent volatility in the semiconductor stock market, attributing it to a 'bubble over' rather than fundamental shifts, while noting that AI's benefits are unevenly distributed. They analyze the evolving architecture of AI data centers, arguing that power constraints and liquid cooling requirements are forcing a shift from air-cooled racks to new designs with higher GPU-to-CPU ratios. The hosts also examine the automotive semiconductor sector, highlighting weak demand driven by high EV inventory in China and the divergence between analog and digital cyclicality.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsScaling production
    5 chapters

  • Additive Snack · 49m

    AI Is Getting Hot: Can Additive Manufacturing Help Cool It Down?

    Professor PS Lee, founder of CoolestDC and head of Mechanical Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS), explains how additive manufacturing (AM) enables complex unibody cold plates that reduce junction temperatures by ~10°C and pumping power by 60–70% in AI data centers. He details the transition from single-phase to two-phase direct-to-chip liquid cooling and the deployment of AM cold plates at NUS’s Sustainable Tropical Data Center Testbed (STDC), which features 22 liquid-cooled racks and ~500 kW capacity. Lee discusses system-level challenges, including leakage risks, total cost of ownership (TCO) evaluations, and the potential for AM in space-based data centers and waste-heat reuse.

    Mechanical engineeringMaterials & manufacturing processes
    10 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 38m

    An Interview with Rick Altherr

    Rick Altherr, a firmware and software designer at Google, discusses the Open Compute Project and the design of hyperscale server technologies like the Zaius machine and Open Rack V2. He explains the shift from traditional 1U rack units to open, airflow-optimized designs that eliminate unnecessary plastics and panels to reduce costs and improve efficiency. The conversation covers the technical challenges of managing massive data centers, including 48-volt power distribution, point-of-load conversion, and advanced cooling strategies like chilled water heat exchangers. Altherr also details the software stack, including Kubernetes and OpenStack, which manage cluster-level resource allocation and self-healing architectures in environments where hardware failure is a constant statistical reality.

    Embedded firmwareMechanical engineering
    11 chapters

  • Over the Air · 30m

    Smart Air, Smarter Cooling: Actasys's Innovation in Data Center Technology

    David Menicovich, CEO and co-founder of Actasys, explains how his company pivoted from aerodynamic drag reduction for vehicles to providing piezoelectric cooling actuators for data centers. He details the technology's ability to remove heat from specific hotspots on network interface cards and DPUs with high energy efficiency, enabling higher ambient temperatures in server racks. Menicovich discusses the challenges of navigating the semiconductor supply chain, the differences in customer engagement between automotive OEMs and tech integrators, and the company's operations from the Navy Yard in Brooklyn.

    Mechanical engineeringConnected products & IoT
    10 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by Catalyst. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.