Data centre liquid cooling systems are becoming increasingly popular due to their greater heat management effectiveness when compared to traditional air cooling methods. However, as technology advances, new security issues emerge, such as cybersecurity and physical risks.
These concerns are critical to industry professionals as they can result in data breaches, system disruptions, and considerable operational downtime. Understanding and minimising these risks ensures that a data centre is reliable and secure. This method emphasises the significance of a comprehensive approach to digital and physical security in the changing landscape of data centre cooling technology.
But the transition from air to liquid is not easy. Here are some of the main challenges to the implementation of liquid cooling in data centres:
Two cooling systems instead of one
It is rarely practical for an established data centre to switch to liquid cooling one rack at a time. The facilities personnel will have to operate two cooling systems rather than one, according to Lex Coors, chief data centre technology and engineering officer of Interxion, the European colocation behemoth. This makes liquid cooling a better option for new data centres or those in need of a major overhaul.
No standards
The lack of industry standards for liquid cooling is a significant barrier to widespread use of the technology.
"The customer, first of all, has to come with their own IT equipment ready for liquid cooling," Coors stated. "And it's not very standardized -- we can't simply connect it and let it run.”
Interxion does not currently have consumers using liquid cooling, but the company is prepared to support it if necessary, according to Coors.
Corrosion
Corrosion is a challenge in liquid cooling, as it is in any system that uses water to flow through pipes. "Corrosion in those small pipes is a big issue, and this is one of the things we are trying to solve today," Mr. Coors added. Manufacturers are improving pipelines to reduce the possibility of leaks and to automatically close if one occurs.
Physical security
Physical tampering with data centre liquid cooling systems poses serious security threats since unauthorised modifications can disrupt operations and jeopardise system integrity. Malicious insiders, such as disgruntled or contractors, can use their physical access to change settings, introduce contaminants, or disable cooling devices.
Such acts can cause overheating, device failures, and protracted downtime, compromising data centre performance and security. Insider threats highlight the importance of rigorous access controls, extensive background checks, and ongoing monitoring of personnel activities. These elements help to prevent and respond promptly to physical sabotage.
Operational complexity
The company that offers colocation and cloud computing services, Markley Group, plans to implement liquid cooling in a high-performance cloud data centre early next year. According to Jeff Flanagan, executive VP of Markley Group, the biggest risk could be increased operational complexity.
"As a data center operator, we prefer simplicity," he said. "The more components you have, the more likely you are to have failure. When you have chip cooling, with water going to every CPU or GPU in a server, you're adding a lot of components to the process, which increases the potential likelihood of failure.”