SK enmove joins forces to boost liquid cooling technology

[Courtesy of SK Telecom Co.]

SK enmove Co., South Korea’s leading base oil and lubricants provider, has signed an agreement with SK telecom Co. and U.K. liquid cooling solution specialist Iceotope Technologies Ltd. to join forces in the next-generation cooling and solutions field, the company said on Wednesday.

Under the agreement signed on the sidelines of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2024 in Barcelona, Spain, the three companies will collaborate on data center liquid cooling technology.

SK enmove plans to integrate its cooling fluid with Iceotope Technologies’ liquid cooling solution and apply it to SK telecom‘s artificial intelligence (AI) data center testbed.

The collaboration aims to analyze the effectiveness of liquid cooling technology in real AI server environments and cooperate on the Integrated Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU), a core system for liquid cooling being developed by SK telecom.

Liquid cooling involves using a special cooling fluid that does not conduct electricity to cool servers within a data center. It is gaining attention as a new method of heat management as it can improve power consumption and reduce operating costs compared to air cooling, which uses air to cool the heat.

“Through this collaboration, we will be able to develop products optimized for energy efficiency in data centers,” said Seo Sang-hyuk, head of e-Fluids B2B business office at SK enmove. “Based on this, we will contribute to revitalizing the liquid cooling market and solidify our position as an energy efficiency company.”

“In the era of AI, data centers will become spaces where various innovative technologies converge,” said Lee Jong-min, head of Future R&D at SK telecom. “We will leverage the capabilities of SK affiliates and various global partners to develop global AI solutions.”