As the world’s digital urge for food grows, so does its power invoice. Data centres — the spine of streaming, e-commerce, synthetic intelligence, and cloud companies— already eat round 1–1.13% of worldwide electrical energy and are projected to use way more within the coming years. Nearly 40% of this energy goes into cooling the huge server farms, making energy-efficient alternate options essential.
A brand new research from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, led by Professor Gurubalan Annadurai, Dr. Kashish Kumar and Moin Ali Syed, a former IIT Bombay scholar has unveiled a promising resolution: Deep Seawater Cooling (DSWC). The analysis proposes a scientific framework for assessing the feasibility of using chilly water from deep ocean layers to cool energy-intensive data centres — a technique that would minimize power consumption by up to 79% and obtain payback in simply eight months.
“In deep seawater cooling systems, cold water from deep ocean layers is transported through long pipelines to land-based facilities,” explains Dr. Kumar, the research’s lead writer. “Our framework enables systematic calculations of resource needs and payback periods, helping businesses evaluate viability before investing,” he added.
How the system works
Using the Sister Islands within the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as a prototype location, the researchers analysed oceanographic data to find deep, chilly water supreme for cooling. They recognized a depth of two,770 meters, the place seawater maintains a secure temperature of 18°C year-round, supreme for constant efficiency.
A pipeline of roughly 2.78 km would transport the water to land. To optimise effectivity, the workforce really useful High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) pipes for his or her energy, sturdiness, and resistance to marine situations like salinity, excessive strain, and biofouling.
The research additionally developed a segmented insulation technique, tailoring the thickness of insulation for various pipeline sections based mostly on surrounding temperatures, stopping warmth achieve and decreasing prices.
Efficiency, financial savings, and sustainability
Testing the system on a hypothetical 100 MW data centre, the research discovered that DSWC might scale back annual power use by 79% in contrast to conventional air-based chillers. The technique would additionally minimize carbon emissions by the identical margin, making it an environmentally pleasant different.
Assuming a mean electrical energy value of $0.0851 per kWh and 24×7 operation, the estimated payback interval is simply eight months, even when accounting for upkeep and capital investments like pipelines, warmth exchangers, and air ducting.
However, the researchers warning that DSWC works finest in coastal areas, particularly islands with quick access to deep, chilly seawater. For inland areas or websites removed from appropriate ocean depths, set up prices might rise considerably.
Beyond data centres
While the research focuses on data centres, its methodology will be utilized throughout sectors. “Potential beneficiaries include hospital complexes, industrial processing units, desalination plants, and residential or commercial buildings in tropical coastal cities,” Dr. Kumar mentioned.
The researchers additionally spotlight the significance of worldwide cooperation and coverage assist to scale know-how globally. Island nations and growing international locations, they argue, stand to profit essentially the most from diminished power dependency and greener infrastructure.
By tapping into the naturally chilly reservoirs of the deep ocean, IIT Bombay’s analysis framework offers a roadmap to sustainable cooling at a scale, chopping emissions whereas supporting the world’s quickly increasing digital economic system.
The researchers mentioned that growing nations could profit immensely, notably island nations and international locations with immense coastal areas like India. But success will rely on collaboration, know-how switch, and inexperienced financing.
