DESIGN & BUILD
“ It’ s not like these companies have 30 years of experience, and there’ s a leader in the industry. Everybody is trying to figure this out at the same time, and we don’ t know how the operational conditions are going to impact the systems.”
One particular concern centres on glycol-based cooling systems. Traditionally viewed as a“ fill it and forget it” solution, according to Rob, glycol has earned a reputation as a commodity product requiring minimal oversight.
This perception, while based on experience with conventional utility loops, may prove dangerously inadequate for AI data centre applications.
“ There are so many unknowns in the AI systems right now,” warns Rob.“ How many touchpoints are we going to have in these systems that could potentially introduce contamination or dilution events that could change the coolant health?”
The stakes extend beyond operational efficiency. Glycol degradation, material compatibility issues and unexpected corrosion byproducts can threaten assets worth billions of dollars.“ I’ ve seen several examples where some unknown materials are showing up, and suddenly there’ s a corrosion byproduct that they weren’ t expecting,” recalls Rob.
When investigating these incidents, basic questions arise:“ Did you have the right stainless steel? Were your tubes cured in the right way? Because all those things can impact what’ s going on in the system,” says Rob.
Ecolab’ s Water University is home to a fully functional wet lab
Applying legacy expertise to novel challenges Ecolab’ s response to this uncertainty draws on its century-long history in industrial water treatment and cooling systems.
The company’ s 3D TRASAR technology, which has monitored and maintained water systems for decades, is now being adapted for direct-to-chip applications.
“ We’ ve been using 3D TRASAR in cooling systems for a long time, more than 30 years,” Rob explains.“ We are experts at monitoring fluid
136 December 2025