Data Center Evolution: ORV3 Immersion Cooling Insights 

As data centers scale to meet escalating computational demands, traditional air-cooling methods increasingly fall short. Immersion cooling—submerging hardware in a dielectric liquid—offers a more effective approach to thermal management. However, this technique presents unique challenges, particularly concerning material compatibility, temperature rise (T-rise) and interconnect design. 

Drawing from extensive testing and research recently conducted, Molex provides key insights into the ORV3 immersion cooling system, highlighting optimized power distribution and design innovations that boost data center performance. 

Understanding and controlling temperature rise, or T-rise, is crucial for system reliability and hardware lifespan in immersion-cooled environments. T-rise measures the temperature increase in high-power components as they operate, directly impacting thermal stability and performance. In ORV3 setups, T-rise is driven by factors such as fluid temperature, electrical resistance, interconnect placement and flow rate. By adjusting parameters like flow rate, tank size and fluid temperature, data center engineers can effectively manage heat dissipation, reducing stress on components and enhancing system longevity. Strategic design modifications, such as enlarging tank dimensions for improved heat distribution, further optimize cooling efficiency. 

Our immersion-specific testing framework integrates thermal, electrical, mechanical and environmental assessments, equipping engineers with practical guidelines to ensure long-term reliability in liquid-cooled systems. This comprehensive approach reveals insights unique to immersion cooling, beyond what air-based testing can capture.

Coated metals displayed significantly greater corrosion resistance compared to uncoated varieties. Applying advanced corrosion-resistant coatings to specific parts extends the life of connectors and interconnects, which is crucial in high-power immersion environments. For example, coatings with strong chemical bonds create barriers against fluid-induced oxidation, a common failure mode. 

Immersion-rated plastics and cable materials generally maintain structural integrity under fluid exposure, while conventional plastics often swell, deform or crack. Tested immersion-rated cables performed consistently well, highlighting the importance of selecting materials validated for fluid durability to avoid performance degradation and unplanned maintenance. 

The performance of HST in immersion varies by type, with some holding up well while others degrade. Selecting HST rated for immersion applications reduces breakdown risks, providing stable performance over time. 

Choosing immersion-tested materials helps data centers reduce maintenance demands and downtime while promoting reliable, long-term performance across high-power environments.

Standard air-based testing methods fail to capture immersion cooling stresses. Our research gleaned further immersion cooling insights that include a custom framework blending thermal, electrical, mechanical and environmental assessments to evaluate performance under a multitude of conditions. Key testing revealed the following insights: 

• Thermal and Electrical Tests: Components in immersion cooling support higher current-carrying capacities than in air due to the dielectric fluid’s thermal properties. Reduced thermal resistance allows more efficient cooling and can lengthen component lifespan, helping data centers maximize energy efficiency without straining thermal capacity.
• Mechanical Tests: Contact retention and durability tests revealed unique stresses in immersion cooling, including thermal cycling and differential expansion. Ensuring robust structural integrity under these conditions is crucial for reliability in high-density configurations.
• Environmental Tests: Thermal shock and vibration testing uncovered risks unique to immersion cooling that conventional air-based testing overlooks, such as fluid-based erosion.

This immersion-specific testing framework integrates thermal, electrical, mechanical and environmental assessments to evaluate performance across diverse conditions. This approach equips data center system engineers with practical guidelines for designing immersion-compatible components, addressing real-world performance challenges unique to liquid cooling that differ from air-cooled setups. By refining these configurations, engineers can enhance resilience and efficiency in high-density, liquid-cooled systems. 
 

Interconnects designed for air cooling require targeted modifications for immersion. Our findings reveal that immersion cooling creates new opportunities to reduce material costs while enhancing system performance.

Immersion cooling reduces thermal resistance within interconnects, allowing engineers to use less conductive materials, such as copper, to maintain thermal performance. Optimizing heat dissipation in fluid-cooled interconnects enables system architects to meet or exceed cooling requirements while reducing material costs—a critical factor for achieving cost-effective solutions in high-density data centers. 

Smaller interconnect components allow for denser server rack arrangements—an essential design consideration as data centers increase rack density. Molex’s findings reveal that miniaturizing interconnects while preserving current-carrying capacity boosts cooling efficiency, allowing data centers to implement space-efficient designs. These miniaturized components reduce thermal resistance and optimize compact configurations for stable, consistent cooling. 

These design modifications support fluid immersion’s operational demands, enabling data centers to meet high-power needs while maximizing efficiency and minimizing costs. 

Immersion cooling goes far beyond simply replacing air-cooling systems—it’s a transformative solution that enables energy-efficient, scalable data centers capable of managing tomorrow’s power demands. By eliminating bulky air-handling equipment, immersion systems make denser racks and higher power capacities feasible.  

Immersion cooling is particularly well-suited for AI and HPC applications that require consistent, high-performance operation. With Molex’s immersion-compatible solutions, data centers can increase rack density and achieve sustainable power distribution, positioning themselves to handle expanding computational needs efficiently and reliably. 

Immersion cooling is transforming data center capabilities for high-density, high-performance computing. Molex’s ORV3 Rack and Power Infrastructure platform, developed with OCP, exemplifies our dedication to scalable and efficient solutions for the data centers of tomorrow. See how Molex’s ORV3-compatible components—including advanced connectors and busbars—are engineered to support sustainable, high-density data centers ready for tomorrow’s demands.