Learn how a new class of hybrid packaged cooling solution is giving hyperscalers, enterprise operators, and colocation providers the flexibility to support today's workloads while staying ready for whatever comes next.
The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) is forcing data center operators to rethink everything, including how they cool their facilities. As AI workloads demand increasingly dense compute power, the industry is discovering that neither air cooling nor liquid cooling alone tells the whole story. The future belongs to hybrid environments, and a new class of cooling solution is making that transition more practical than ever.
The pressure is real, and it's coming from all directions
Regardless of facility size, the same fundamental tension is playing out across the industry: how do operators invest in liquid cooling infrastructure for AI workloads when the pace and scale of AI adoption remain genuinely difficult to predict?
Invest too early, and operators risk stranded capacity. Wait too long, and they risk falling behind competitors or delaying business-critical AI initiatives. For colocation providers, the stakes are especially high: miscalculating AI demand in either direction can mean underutilized assets or lost market share.
Traditional approaches to this challenge often require operators to choose between maintaining legacy air-cooled infrastructure or committing to a dedicated liquid-cooling buildout. Neither option delivers the flexibility today's rapidly evolving workload mix demands.
A new class of solutions with real-world validation
The industry has been exploring and responding to this challenge with a fundamentally different approach to hybrid cooling.
The centerpiece of this discussion is the Vertiv™ CoolPhase Flex, an innovative outdoor packaged cooling solution developed in collaboration with leading colocation provider Compass Data Centers. What makes this solution unique is its ability to integrate proven air- and liquid-cooling components into a single system, one that can support traditional workloads through air cooling today and be converted to support high-density AI workloads through liquid cooling in less than a single day.
When operating in air-cooling mode, the system delivers up to 400 kW of cooling per unit and leverages the Vertiv™ EconoPhase pumped refrigerant economization (PRE) technology to reduce compressor runtime and energy costs. When liquid cooling is needed, the system supports downstream coolant distribution units (CDUs) to effectively remove heat from liquid cooling systems, whether that's liquid-to-liquid rear-door heat exchangers (RDHxs) or direct-to-chip (DTC) cooling within the rack. All major mechanical, hydraulic, refrigerant, and control components are factory-engineered and assembled within a common enclosure — significantly reducing on-site design, installation, and integration complexity.
The eBook explores real-world applications, alternative hybrid cooling approaches, what this new class of solution means for your facility planning, and how Vertiv can help you with your end-to-end needs. One such example is Compass Data Centers. Compass needed a way to add liquid-ready capacity to its standardized designs without creating a second mechanical architecture, redesigning its buildings, or projecting exactly how much liquid cooling each campus would ultimately require — all while maintaining the construction speed that differentiates its business.
The first units were deployed at Compass's Phoenix campus in air-cooling mode, with a clear path to convert units to direct-to-chip liquid cooling as graphics processing unit (GPU) clusters are installed. The result: a controlled, stepwise transition from traditional to liquid-cooled deployments that preserves design standardization and construction velocity.
The bottom line
The question isn't whether to support both air and liquid cooling, but how to do so with maximum flexibility and minimum risk. The Vertiv™ CoolPhase Flex represents a meaningful step forward in answering that question, and the eBook “Adaptive Cooling Solutions for Hybrid Data Centers” provides the context and guidance operators need to evaluate whether a packaged hybrid cooling approach is right for their environment.
Download the full eBook to explore how adaptive hybrid cooling solutions can help your data center keep pace with AI.