The Definitive Guide toAI Data Centers
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GuideGlossaryDLC

DLC · Direct Liquid Cooling

Direct-to-chip liquid cooling: cold plates remove a named share of component heat through an approved coolant loop. Selection depends on the equipment heat split, component heat flux, airflow/inlet limits, and facility water/rejection envelope—not a universal rack-kW cliff or default.

Cooling that circulates an approved liquid through cold plates on specified components. Residual room-air duty, coolant chemistry, temperatures, flow, pressure, and facility heat rejection remain part of the named equipment design.

Also written as: Direct Liquid Cooling · Direct-to-chip liquid cooling

Current numbers

~170–235 L/minDLC secondary-loop flow per GB200 NVL72 rack (guide water-property heat balance ~170–235 L/min for ~115 kW at 7–10 °C rise; Clariant PG25 ~172–246 L/min at the same rise)as of 2026-08 · register ↗
~45 °C in / ~55 °C out (Rubin example)warm-water DLC return temperature — the mid-grade band that feeds a low-temp district network with a modest liftas of 2026-06-21 · register ↗
up to ~100%of server exhaust heat captured by a correctly sized rack-mounted door coil (room-neutral); ~40–55% lower capex than full DLC for the bridge bandas of 2026 · register ↗

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