Modern data centre Cooling Direct Liquid Cooling
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Direct Liquid Cooling in the Rack –
Server cooling with water up to 50 kW per Rack

Direct Liquid Cooling from SCHÄFER IT-Systems and Thomas-Krenn: the modular rack solution for high-performance server environments, AI workloads, edge computing and hybrid cloud.

As computing power increases, so does the heat load within the rack. Conventional air cooling quickly reaches its thermal and economic limits when faced with high rack densities, AI applications and high-performance server platforms. Direct Liquid Cooling removes heat much closer to the heat-generating components, enabling efficient, controlled and scalable server cooling using water.

The joint solution from SCHÄFER IT-Systems and Thomas-Krenn combines Direct Liquid Cooling within the rack with hybrid air/water cooling, preconfigured servers, integrated monitoring and a single-source service concept. The result is a modular DLC rack delivering up to 50 kW of cooling capacity per rack, supplied ready for plug-and-play deployment, scalable for future requirements and designed for demanding IT environments.

Your benefits

  • High power density with controlled cooling
  • Direct liquid cooling within the rack for up to 50 kW of cooling capacity
  • All-in-one system instead of complex individual components
  • Plug-and-play deployment for rapid project roll-out
  • Planning, operation and service from a single source
  • European digital sovereignty through strong partnerships
  • Suitable for AI, edge computing and hybrid cloud environments
  • Energy-efficient cooling with heat recovery potential
  • Centralised monitoring for transparent operations
  • Modular system designed for growing requirements

Features

  • Up to 50 kW per rack
  • Hybrid cooling combining water and air
  • Direct liquid cooled servers
  • InRack DLC standard
  • Manifold system
  • Side cooler
  • Redundant three-phase PDU
  • AI-powered monitoring
  • Predictive maintenance
  • Remote monitoring
  • Plug-and-play deployment
  • Compatible with common software platforms

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What is Direct Liquid Cooling?

Direct liquid cooling (DLC) is a form of liquid cooling designed for high-performance server environments. Unlike purely air-cooled systems, heat is not first dissipated through the room or rack air. Instead, it is removed much closer to the heat source, for example from liquid-cooled server components.
A DLC rack is a rack system that combines direct liquid cooling with the appropriate infrastructure components. Depending on the design, these may include liquid-cooled servers, a manifold system, rack-based cooling technology, power distribution, sensors and monitoring systems.
For operators, water-cooled server cooling primarily means higher power density, more stable thermal conditions and better foundations for an efficient data centre infrastructure. Direct liquid cooling becomes particularly important when AI workloads, GPU servers, HPC systems or dense edge environments must operate reliably under full load.

Why Direct Liquid Cooling in the rack?

Modern IT infrastructures must deliver more computing power within a limited footprint. At the same time, requirements for energy efficiency, availability, scalability and operational reliability continue to increase. Direct liquid cooling in the rack addresses these challenges directly. Instead of transporting heat through large volumes of air, the system uses water as a more effective cooling medium. This allows heat to be absorbed, transferred and dissipated in a more efficient and controlled manner. In practice, this supports significantly higher rack densities while reducing the demand for traditional room air conditioning. For companies, data centre operators and system integrators, this creates a solution that combines technical performance with a predictable infrastructure concept. The DLC rack is designed as an integrated system, bringing together servers, cooling technology, power distribution, monitoring and service.

Benefits

01

More computing power in a minimal footprint

Direct Liquid Cooling enables high performance even where space is limited. The DLC Rack supports high-performance server environments without requiring the infrastructure to be oversized unnecessarily.

02

Stable cooling for AI and GPU workloads

AI workloads generate high thermal loads. Direct Liquid Cooling helps dissipate these loads reliably and maintain stable operation even under full load conditions.

03

Modular and scalable DLC system

The rack system features a modular design and can be adapted to growing requirements. This makes it possible to integrate new workloads without having to redesign the underlying architecture every time.

04

Fast project deployment through plug-and-play

The solution is delivered pre-configured and ready to connect. This reduces integration effort and simplifies deployment, even when internal resources are limited.

05

Open architecture for modern IT applications

The system is designed to support a wide range of platforms and workloads. This keeps the infrastructure flexible for AI, Edge, Private Cloud and Hybrid Cloud environments.

06

Predictive maintenance and monitoring

Integrated monitoring supports transparent operations. Anomalies can be detected at an early stage before they lead to unplanned downtime.

07

Physical and digital protection

Direct Liquid Cooling is not viewed in isolation, but as part of a secure IT infrastructure. The rack, monitoring systems, power supply and operating concept work together as an integrated solution.

08

Energy-efficient cooling with waste heat recovery potential

Thanks to higher system temperatures, Direct Liquid Cooling can provide the foundation for more energy-efficient cooling concepts and the potential utilisation of waste heat.

09

Simplified operations through centralised monitoring

Standardised service processes and remote monitoring help keep operations clear and manageable. This is particularly important for distributed locations or edge infrastructures.

10

Suitable for different workloads

Whether for AI, Edge Computing, Hybrid Cloud or high-performance server environments, the DLC Rack supports a wide range of scenarios within a single modular platform.

What applications is Direct Liquid Cooling suitable for?

Direct Liquid Cooling for AI and GPU servers

AI applications, machine learning and GPU-accelerated workloads place high demands on cooling performance. Direct Liquid Cooling is particularly well suited to these applications because heat is removed directly and in a controlled manner from the rack. This enables high workloads to operate reliably and stably without relying solely on air cooling for the entire environment.

DLC rack for high-performance computing

In HPC environments, every unit of computing power matters. At the same time, high thermal loads are generated within a limited footprint. A Direct Liquid Cooling system in the rack provides the required cooling capacity and supports a compact and efficient infrastructure.

Water-cooled server cooling for edge computing

Edge locations often have limited space, short deployment windows and high availability requirements. Direct Liquid Cooling in the rack is particularly attractive in these environments when high-performance IT needs to be operated closer to where data is generated.

Direct Liquid Cooling for Hybrid Cloud and Private Cloud

Performance, scalability and operational reliability are also becoming increasingly important in hybrid IT environments. Direct Liquid Cooling can help integrate high-density server platforms into a controlled and manageable infrastructure.

How is the Direct Liquid Cooling system structured?


Direct Liquid Cooled Servers

The liquid-cooled servers form the foundation of the system. They are designed for high power densities and enable direct heat removal from heavily loaded IT components.

InRack DLC Standard

The InRack DLC Standard provides the rack-integrated cooling function and connects the server layer with the rack infrastructure. For more advanced technical requirements, the dedicated InRack DLC page offers further detailed information.

Manifold system

The manifold system distributes the coolant throughout the rack and provides a structured connection for the liquid-cooled components. It is a key element in ensuring that Direct Liquid Cooling is implemented efficiently, maintainably and in a scalable manner.

Sidecooler

The Sidecooler complements the hybrid liquid and air cooling concept and supports controlled heat dissipation within the rack. This ensures the system remains suitable for components that still require air-side cooling.

Redundant PDU and power distribution

A redundant three-phase PDU ensures a reliable power supply for the integrated IT components. Particularly in high-density workloads, the coordination of cooling and power distribution is crucial.

Monitoring and predictive maintenance

Monitoring, sensors and predictive maintenance make operations more transparent. Temperature, performance, cooling behaviour and anomalies can be monitored to identify potential risks at an early stage.

Water quality in Direct Liquid Cooling

The closer cooling moves to the server, chip and cold plate, the more important the quality of the coolant becomes. Small flow channels, sensitive components and high power densities place significant demands on the cooling circuit.
Air, particles, corrosion or deposits can impair both flow rates and cooling performance. Consistently stable water quality therefore protects not only cooling efficiency, but also the reliability, efficiency and service life of the infrastructure.
For Direct Liquid Cooling, water quality should therefore not be considered an additional topic, but an integral part of the overall system design.

Cooling InRack Backcooler
Direct rack cooling for high power densities

InRack DLC systems

SCHÄFER IT-Systems' InRack DLC systems remove heat directly within the rack via a water-based cooling circuit. They are designed for IT environments with high computing performance, high rack density and increasing thermal demands, such as high-performance computing, AI infrastructures, edge environments and high-density zones within data centres.
With InRack DLC Standard and Extreme, powerful variants are available for different requirements. The systems can be integrated into or retrofitted to 19" rack solutions and support the efficient, monitored operation of liquid-cooled IT components.

More
Clean water for stable DLC infrastructures

ProtectaCool Rack

The ProtectaCool Rack from SCHÄFER IT-Systems is an all-in-one rack solution designed to maintain consistently stable water quality in modern high-performance IT infrastructures. It supports air-free, particle-free and chemically stable coolant throughout both the primary and secondary cooling circuits.
The solution combines key water treatment and hydraulic functions within a ready-to-connect rack system. These include degassing, particle separation, corrosion protection, pressure maintenance and monitoring.
For operators of Direct Liquid Cooling infrastructures, this means greater cooling circuit reliability, reduced operational risks and a stronger foundation for dependable cooling performance throughout the entire lifecycle of the infrastructure.

More

Liquid cooling in data centres

Find out what role liquid cooling plays in modern data centres and why Direct Liquid Cooling is becoming increasingly important for high power density environments.

Liquid-to-Liquid Cooling

The article explains how heat is transferred between two liquid circuits and the role played by the primary circuit, secondary circuit and coolant.

Air cooling vs liquid cooling

Which cooling method is best suited to which application? This comparison helps you decide between traditional air cooling and Direct Liquid Cooling.

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What is Direct Liquid Cooling?

Direct Liquid Cooling is a form of liquid cooling designed for high-performance server environments. Heat is removed closer to the heat-generating components than in purely air-cooled systems.

When is Direct Liquid Cooling in the rack worthwhile?

Direct Liquid Cooling is particularly beneficial for high power densities, limited space, AI workloads, GPU servers, HPC, Edge Computing and Hybrid Cloud scenarios. The higher the thermal load per rack, the more relevant a DLC system becomes.

How much cooling capacity does the SCHÄFER IT-Systems solution provide?

The Direct Liquid Cooling solution from SCHÄFER IT-Systems and Thomas-Krenn is designed for up to 50 kW per rack. It combines liquid-cooled servers, hybrid air/liquid cooling, monitoring and a modular infrastructure.

What is the difference between Direct Liquid Cooling and InRack DLC?

Direct Liquid Cooling describes the direct liquid cooling of high-performance server environments. InRack DLC refers to the rack-integrated cooling solution that removes heat within the rack via a water-based cooling circuit.

What role does water quality play in Direct Liquid Cooling?

Water quality is crucial for operational reliability, efficiency and service life. Air, particles, corrosion and deposits can impair both flow rates and cooling performance. For this reason, water quality should be considered from the very beginning when planning a Direct Liquid Cooling infrastructure.