BP subsidiary Castrol plans to build an immersion cooling test and development facility for data centres at its global headquarters in Pangbourne, UK.
Castrol will be working in collaboration with Submer to develop new immersion fluids, and will install Submer’s SmartPod and MicroPod tank systems, which have been adapted to test new fluids and new server equipment.
Earlier this year, the companies announced a partnership to encourage the adoption and development of immersion cooling technology to enable more sustainable data centre operations.
The new site will also be used to develop and test methods to capture and reuse the heat from data centre operations to further increase operational efficiency.
The project comes as part of BP’s earlier announcement that it will invest up to £50 million to setup a new battery test centre and analytical laboratories at the same site.
“Immersion cooled data centres could bring huge gains in performance and big reductions in energy wasted in cooling. Together, Submer and Castrol aim to deliver sustainable solutions as demand for computer power continues to surge. This investment in proven Submer systems is a key step towards joint development with the goal of enhancing performance and improving data centre sustainability even further through integrated energy solutions,” said Rebecca Yates, Rebecca Yates, BP’s Technology Vice President, advanced mobility and industrial products.
“Castrol’s investment in Submer’s systems is the next step in our joint mission to accelerate the adoption of immersion cooling technology within the IT industry. The combined expertise of Submer and Castrol aims to provide evidence of how the technology can enhance performance, efficiency and deliver environmental benefits. We look forward to working with Castrol and the wider-bp to help the industry become more sustainable,” added Daniel Pope, Co-Founder and CEO, Submer.
