Feature: Power management


gels support room temperature curing with an optional heat accelerated cure. Tese advanced materials also support thin bond lines and have low thermal resistance.


Immersion coolants Immersion cooling offers an alternative approach to dissipating heat from data centre electronics. Full servers or server components are submerged in a thermally conductive silicone-based liquid that transfers heat to a water circuit. Because this silicone-based liquid has a low electrical conductivity, it will not interfere with server electronics. De-ionized water can be used instead, but it is not the best choice for a dielectric fluid because it still contains charged ion content – although at very low levels. Other types of water contain charged ions at higher levels. While silicone-based liquids are favoured


for their low electrical conductivity and chemical stability, hydrocarbon-based synthetic oils are also used as immersion coolants. Tey typically offer lower viscosity and may be less expensive, but they can present challenges in terms of oxidation stability, flammability and long-term compatibility with electronic materials. Silicone oils, by contrast, are more thermally stable and less prone to degradation, making them preferable for high-reliability data centre applications. It is important to understand that


immersion cooling involves direct contact between the coolant and the server or its components. By contrast, traditional liquid cooling sends a coolant through a sealed loop that is isolated from the heat source. Immersion cooling also offers a choice between single-phase and two- phase systems. Single-phase cooling is less efficient, but the liquid coolant does not change its state. Two-phase cooling transforms the coolant from a liquid to a vapour and requires more fluid replenishment because the coolant boils off. According to research presented to Te


Green Grid, an international consortium that develops tools and metrics to improve the energy efficiency of IT infrastructure, immersion cooling can achieve a PUE as low as 1.1. Tat is a lot closer to the ideal value and significantly lower than the


www.electronicsworld.co.uk February 2026 19


average PUE of 1.5-1.8 in traditional air- cooled data centres. Using immersion cooling systems may


also be a lot cheaper: research from the University of Manchester indicates that this method can reduce electricity usage by up to 60% compared to traditional air cooling methods. Research also shows that data centre


operators are adjusting their cooling strategies accordingly. Trade association, techUK, and England’s Environmental Agency state that in the UK, waterless cooling systems like immersion cooling are now used in over half of commercial data centres.


Saving energy, reducing costs and improving performance Termally conductive silicones are not the only innovative solutions to data centre cooling challenges. For example, direct-to- chip (D2C) cooling sends a glycol-based fluid through channels in metal plates that are attached to chips. Te cold plates


are made of metals such as aluminum or copper that have high thermal conductivities. Te internal tubes through which heat transfer fluids flow are typically made of copper. Along with tubing and piping, cold plate


components for D2C cooling include joints, connectors and fittings. To improve leak detection, heat transfer fluids can be dyed green for visibility. Tese advanced fluids can also contain corrosion inhibitors and are available in purities of greater than 99.8%. Solutions in water can provide frozen protection to -50°C and burst protection to 73°C. By partnering with the right supplier,


designers of data centres and data centre electronics can select heat transfer fluids, immersion coolants and thermal interface materials that help reduce PUE. In addition to reducing the total cost of ownership, the benefits include greater reliability and improved performance for electronics that support high power densities for AI workloads.


An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), utilizing high-thermal-conductivity silicone compounds, applied directly to bare dies for enhanced heat dissipation to optimize AI performance


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