Asetek, Inc. announced today that it has been selected to perform a $2 million project to retrofit a major Department of Defense (DoD) data center with its innovative direct-to-chip liquid-cooling technology. The product, called RackCDU (short for Rack Coolant Distribution Unit), cost-effectively brings high-performance liquid-cooling directly to the hottest elements inside every server in a data center. The net result is more than 50% cooling cost savings, oftentimes having an immediate payback.

Data center cooling accounts for roughly 5% of all electricity consumed by the United States federal government. Multiple Federal mandates are driving the DoD to increase energy efficiency, increase the use of renewable energy and to consolidate data centers. Similar mandates affect data centers operated by other departments of the Federal government.

This project, which will be managed through DoD’s Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), will leverage Asetek’s innovative technology to convert an existing air-cooled enterprise data center into a high-performance liquid-cooled enterprise data center, without disrupting operations during the transition, and with significant improvements in energy consumption, density (enabling consolidation within existing facilities), and creating opportunities to reuse energy, a form of renewable energy under the Federal mandates.

Asetek is the world’s leading supplier of in-chassis liquid-cooling systems for the desktop and workstation PC markets, with more than 1.3 million units in the market today, and products sold through major brand names, such as HP, Dell, Intel and AMD. This ESTCP project will be the first major deployment of Asetek’s technology in a DoD data center.

“The Department of Defense has become very serious about improving data center efficiency, and they are seeking new approaches to address this mission-critical problem,” said Andre Eriksen, Asetek’s CEO and founder. “Hot water direct-to-chip liquid-cooling is a powerful approach that can capture more than 80% of the heat generated by a data center and remove it from the building, where it can be cooled for free by ambient air or even reused for building heating and hot water. No power what so ever goes in to actively chilling the water.”

Asetek chose Johnson Controls Federal Systems, a business unit of Johnson Controls, the global leader in building efficiency, for installation and integration of the system. Johnson Controls Federal Systems has significant experience in systems integration and data center retrofits at DoD installations around the globe.

“Retrofitting any data center requires a careful balance of optimizing efficiency while maintaining performance and managing risk. These priorities are especially important to our Department of Defense customers,” said Mark Duszynski, Vice President Johnson Controls Federal Systems. “This new liquid cooling technology has the potential to shape the future of this industry and will provide a low cost retrofit solution that can be applied to virtually all data centers.”

The National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) will analyze energy efficiency performance, savings, lifecycle cost, and environmental benefits of RackCDU across all of DoD’s data centers. McKinstry, a leading data center monitoring and efficiency firm, will install investment grade monitoring and collect data results. Measured, validated energy savings and performance results will qualify Asetek liquid cooling technology for broader adoption across the DoD.

For more information about RackCDU, please contact Steve Branton, Director of Asetek’s Data Center Division, at[email protected].

About Asetek
Asetek is the world’s leading provider of energy-efficient liquid cooling systems for data centers, servers, workstations, gaming and high performance PCs. Its products are used for reducing power and greenhouse gas emissions, lowering acoustic noise, and achieving maximum performance by leading OEMs and channel partners around the globe.

Asetek’s products are based upon its patented all-in-one liquid cooling technology, with more than 1.3 million liquid cooling units deployed in the field. Asetek cooling technologies are available to DIY and enthusiast builders through Intel® and other enthusiast brands. Founded in 2000, Asetek is headquartered in San Jose, California, with offices in Denmark, China and Taiwan. For more information, visit http://www.asetek.com.

About Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls is a global diversified technology and industrial leader serving customers in more than 150 countries. Our 162,000 employees create quality products, services and solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings; lead-acid automotive batteries and advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles; and interior systems for automobiles. Our commitment to sustainability dates back to our roots in 1885, with the invention of the first electric room thermostat. Through our growth strategies and by increasing market share we are committed to delivering value to shareholders and making our customers successful. In 2012, Corporate Responsibility Magazine recognized Johnson Controls as the #5 company in its annual “100 Best Corporate Citizens” list. For additional information, please visit www.johnsoncontrols.com.

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