STRATEGIC NECESSITY: THE EVOLUTION OF CLOSED-LOOP COOLING
The widespread adoption of closedloop cooling reflects broader industry pressures. With cooling systems accounting for 30 % to 40 % of total data centre energy consumption, deploying efficient solutions has become critical. Water scarcity and regulatory scrutiny in drought-prone regions are pushing operators towards systems that eliminate cooling towers entirely.
For facilities designed from the outset for liquid cooling, the benefits extend beyond sustainability metrics. Operators gain faster deployment capabilities for AI hardware, more consistent outlet temperatures and greater predictability in long-term energy planning. As GPUdriven workloads proliferate, thermal solutions that move beyond airbased approaches are transitioning from competitive differentiator to operational requirement. Closed-loop systems represent a convergence of sustainability objectives and technical necessity. By eliminating freshwater dependency whilst enabling higher densities and improved energy efficiency, these architectures are reshaping data centre design across hyperscale and colocation segments.
As the industry confronts mounting pressure to reduce resource consumption without compromising compute capability, closed-loop cooling has evolved from innovation to infrastructure standard.
CREDIT: JOHNSON CONTROLS
In October 2025, Johnson Controls announced a multimillion dollar strategic investment in Accelsius, a specialist in twophase, direct-to-chip liquid cooling technology. Two-phase solutions exploit phase change from liquid to vapour for heat removal, enabling more efficient heat extraction with reduced energy consumption.
“ With the sharp growth in AI, cooling innovation has become a front-line imperative to meet the increasing demands of highdensity data centres,” said Austin Domenici, President, Global Data Center Solutions at Johnson Controls.“ Leveraging our leading capabilities, our mission is to drive the industry
98 February 2026