Refrigerants for data centres: evolving technologies and a growing market
Refrigerants for data centres play a central role in efficient, sustainable cooling strategies. While the market continues to grow and re-invent itself, the adoption of sustainable solutions will become increasingly important in order to ensure that the digital infrastructures of the future are competitive and efficient.
Data centres represent the beating heart of today’s digital world and making sure they continue to operate requires a substantial combined effort by governments, companies and technological innovators. It is therefore crucial to find the right products to guarantee an appropriate operational temperature, but every step must be taken in full respect of the environment.
The current data centre refrigerant market
The servers in data centres produce a significant amount of heat during operation. In order to avoid breakdowns and downtime, it is essential to ensure that this heat is dissipated both constantly and efficiently.
Refrigerants are used in many different types of cooling system, (including air, liquid and hybrid systems), to transfer heat well away from the critical components and disperse it in cooler areas.
The efficiency of these substances directly influences the performance and sustainability of a data centre. Modern refrigerants (especially those with low global warming potential or GWP), not only contribute to maintaining the servers operational, but also reduce their environmental impact (an increasingly signficant aspect in today’s era of global climate targets).
The European market for these products is therefore undergoing a period of strong growth. According to forecasts, turnover is expected to grow from 116.5 million dollars in 2023 to 210.8 million dollars by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.1%. This growth is powered by a range of key factors, including:
- the expansion of data centres: growing demand for data processing and storage across industrial sectors has led to an increase in the number of data centres. This has intensified the need for reliable, efficient cooling solutions;
- environmental regulations: proposed legislation such as the European Union F-Gas regulation encourages the introduction of low GWP refrigerants to reduce the environmental impact of fluorinated gases;
- technological innovations: advances in cooling technologies (including liquid and hybrid systems) are creating new opportunities for specialised refrigerants, designed for use in advanced configurations.
Despite the positive trends described above, the market still faces some challenges, such as the high initial costs associated with the transition to more ecological refrigerants and the limited availability of some advanced options in specific markets. Leading firms in the sector are working hard to overcome these barriers, by developing innovative, customisable solutions.
Innovation and sustainability of refrigerants
One of the most promising current developments has to be the increase in the use of low GWP refrigerants, which offer a valid ecological alternative to traditional fluorinated gases. These substances signficantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and contribute towards achieving global climate targets.
At the same time, the introducction of advanced cooling systems (such as liquid ones), is changing the panorama of data centre temperature control. These systems use refrigerants to transfer the heat directly from the hardware components, offering greater efficiency compared to traditional air systems. Furthermore, the addition of real time monitoring technologies enables performance to be further optimised.
Another important aspect is the growing attention being paid to energy efficiency; data centres are among the greatest energy consumers and the optimisation of cooling plays a critical part in reducing operational costs and improving sustainability. It is the combination of these two solutions (low GWP refrigerants and advanced cooling systems), which offer a promising route to the achievement of these objectives.
Translated by Joanne Beckwith
