Cooling with hot water... NVIDIA applies 45-degree liquid cooling to 'Rubin', water usage virtually zero
Date
Jun 26, 2026
Classification
- Trends/Industries
NVIDIA has applied the industry's first 100% liquid-cooled structure to its next-generation AI platform, Rubin. By using 45-degree cooling water, hotter than a hot tub, it simultaneously reduced water and power consumption. It has targeted the bottlenecks of AI infrastructure, namely data center cooling costs and environmental controversies.
NVIDIA announced on the 23rd (local time) that it has applied the industry's first 100% liquid-cooled structure to its next-generation AI infrastructure platform, 'Rubin'.
Liquid-only cooling for GPUs, CPUs, and network equipment… A completely sealed design without cooling fans
Rubin is a fully enclosed system that cools all core components—including GPUs, CPUs, and even network equipment—using liquid, eliminating the cooling fans that were essential devices in conventional data centers. The key is the temperature of the coolant. It uses coolant at 45 degrees Celsius, which is higher than the temperature of standard hot tub water (38–40 degrees). This liquid passes through a cold plate installed directly on the chip, instantly absorbing heat. The coolant is a mixture of 75% water and 25% propylene glycol; it passes through the chip, rises to approximately 55 degrees, and is then discharged externally.
2.6 million gallons per MW annually → virtually 0… accompanying reduction in electricity costs
The benefits stem from both water and electricity. NVIDIA adopts a closed-loop structure based on 'dry coolers' that utilize outside air, recirculating cooling water once filled throughout the facility's lifespan. They explain that under suitable climate conditions, cooling water usage can be reduced by up to 100%. This contrasts with conventional cooling tower methods, which consume approximately 2.6 million gallons of water per megawatt (MW) annually. In terms of electricity, the industry estimates that cooling power costs decrease by about 4% for every 1-degree increase in the chiller's target temperature; by replacing chillers typically operating at 21–24 degrees with 45-degree cooling water, operating frequency and load are significantly reduced.
The Year Over 75 Data Centers Shut Down… Cooling Becomes the New Bottleneck for AI Infrastructure
This technology targets the environmental controversy surrounding AI data centers. This year alone, more than 75 data center projects worldwide have faced delays or community backlash due to water and power issues. Ali Heydari, NVIDIA's Head of Infrastructure, stated that the system can operate without chillers for over 99% of the year in certain climates, and Richard Whitmore, CEO of Motibear, a subsidiary of Schneider Electric, also described it as a highly efficient method capable of cooling using only large radiators. However, experts point out that while the water usage of the data centers themselves may decrease, water and energy are still consumed in the process of generating the massive power required to operate AI servers.
NVIDIA's 100% liquid cooling demonstrates that the center of gravity in the competition for AI infrastructure is shifting from computational performance to power and water efficiency. With cooling costs and environmental regulations emerging as significant bottlenecks in data center expansion, there is a growing trend of attempts to boost resource efficiency during the infrastructure design phase.
#NVIDIA #Rubin #LiquidCooling #AIDataCenter #GreenInfrastructure
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