Cold Plate vs. Immersion Liquid Cooling, Which is the BEST Way for Cooling?
Release time: 2025-11-21
Amid the continuous surge in data center computing density, cold plate and immersion liquid cooling have emerged as the two mainstream cooling technologies. Their differences in efficiency, cost, and adaptability directly dictate data center deployment strategies and long-term returns.
Cold plate liquid cooling transfers heat indirectly by attaching cold plates to core heat-generating components. It requires no modifications to the server’s core structure, offering high compatibility with existing architectures and low retrofitting costs ($ 7,000–11,000 per cabinet). Its sealed pipeline design minimizes leakage risks and enables convenient maintenance, making it suitable for medium-to-high computing density scenarios (80–120kW per cabinet). However, its cooling efficiency is limited by contact thermal resistance, with PUE typically ranging from 1.08 to 1.15.
Immersion liquid cooling submerges equipment entirely in insulating coolant, featuring an ultra-short heat transfer path. Particularly, two-phase immersion cooling leverages latent heat of vaporization, delivering 3–5 times the heat transfer efficiency of cold plate systems. It supports cabinet power densities of 150–200kW or higher, with PUE as low as 1.03–1.08. Nevertheless, it entails higher initial investment ($ 21,000–30,000 per cabinet), greater coolant consumption, and increased maintenance complexity compared to cold plate cooling, making it more suitable for ultra-high computing density AI data centers.
| Core Parameters | Cold Plate Liquid Cooling | Immersion Liquid Cooling (Single/Two-Phase) |
|---|---|---|
| Cabinet Power Density Adaptability | 80–120kW | 150–200kW (Up to 750kW+ for Two-Phase) |
| PUE Range | 1.08–1.15 | 1.03–1.08 |
| Core Thermal Resistance | 0.05–0.1℃·cm²/W | 0.02–0.08℃·cm²/W |
| Cabinet Retrofitting Cost | $ 7,000–11,000 | $ 21,000–30,000 |
| Maintenance Difficulty | Low (Supports Online Maintenance) | Medium-High (Requires Shutdown for Coolant Handling) |
| Architecture Compatibility | High (Fits Traditional Servers) | Medium (Requires Special Sealed Cabinets) |
| Coolant Type | Water-Glycol Mixture, Fluorinated Fluids | Mineral Oil, Low-Boiling Fluorinated Fluids |
Each technology has its strengths: cold plate cooling, with its high compatibility and cost-effectiveness, is the preferred choice for retrofitting existing data centers. Immersion cooling, meanwhile, leads the technical direction for newly built ultra-high computing density data centers with its exceptional energy efficiency. Together, they drive the transformation of data centers toward low-carbon and high-efficiency operations.
