The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology (KRICT; President SeokminShin) is joining forces with the SK Innovation Institute of Environmental Science & Technology (SKI; President Pilseok Kim) to develop next-generation cooling materials and technologies aimed at reducing the rapidly growing power consumption of artificial intelligence (AI) data centers.
On September 15, KRICT and SKI signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at KRICT in Daejeon for research cooperation in materials and technologies related to energy solutions. The signing ceremony was attended by KRICT President Seokmin Shin, SK Innovation Institute of Environmental Science & Technology President Pilseok Kim, and other representatives from the two organizations.
As AI technology becomes more widespread, the number of data centers using large numbers of high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs) is increasing. As a result, quickly removing the enormous amount of heat generated by servers while using as little power as possible has emerged as a key challenge for the competitiveness of AI data centers.
Conventional air-cooling systems have limitations in effectively removing heat from high-density servers. Accordingly, two-phase cooling is gaining attention as a next-generation thermal management technology. In this approach, a liquid refrigerant absorbs heat and vaporizes, then condenses back into a liquid, allowing large amounts of heat to be transferred during the phase-change process. Refrigerants capable of rapidly absorbing heat while maintaining long-term stability, together with heat-dissipation and heat-transfer materials, are therefore critical to the technology.
Under the MOU, KRICT and SKI will jointly pursue cooperation in several areas, including the identification and execution of national R&D projects in AI data centers and electrification; the development of thermal management, cooling, and heat-dissipation materials; the development of high-efficiency and environmentally friendly materials technologies for power infrastructure; and research personnel exchanges and technical information sharing.
In particular, KRICT and SKI are planning research that combines AI with chemical materials technologies to discover refrigerants for two-phase cooling. Using machine learning, the researchers will predict the thermophysical properties of candidate refrigerants and identify promising compounds. The selected candidates will then undergo synthesis and purification, followed by experimental evaluation of key properties such as thermal conductivity and latent heat.
Under the research plan currently being considered, the two organizations envision a phased R&D program beginning with the AI-based discovery of novel two-phase refrigerants, followed by optimization of refrigerant synthesis and purification processes and performance validation at the server and rack levels.
The proposed program would ultimately aim to demonstrate cooling performance, Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE), and long-term operational reliability in a 500 kW-class AI data center environment.
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KRICT is a non-profit research institute funded by the Korean government. Since its foundation in 1976, KRICT has played a leading role in advancing national chemical technologies in the fields of chemistry, material science, environmental science, and chemical engineering. Now, KRICT is moving forward to become a globally leading research institute tackling the most challenging issues in the field of Chemistry and Engineering and will continue to fulfill its role in developing chemical technologies that benefit the entire world and contribute to maintaining a healthy planet. More detailed information on KRICT can be found at https://www.krict.re.kr/eng/