AI Server Heat Issues Intensify: A Major Challenge for Application Environments
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is advancing rapidly, and AI servers are increasingly being applied across various industries. However, the immense heat generated by high-performance AI computing poses a significant challenge to server cooling systems. As a result, Cooling Distribution Units (CDUs), which are critical cooling devices, are gaining considerable attention for their application trends.
What Challenges do AI Server Cooling Systems Face?
- High-Density Computing: AI training and inference require substantial computational resources, leading to a significant increase in the thermal density of server components.
- Uneven Heat Distribution: The heat generation varies greatly among different components, such as GPUs, CPUs, and memory, making cooling design more complex.
- Energy Efficiency: Improving cooling efficiency can extend the lifespan of equipment and reduce energy consumption.
Cooling for AI servers is a complex and challenging issue. The development of Cooling Distribution Units (CDUs) provides crucial support for the further application trends of AI technology. Therefore, CDUs play a vital role in AI servers, with their performance directly affecting server stability and longevity. However, conducting comprehensive and effective testing of CDUs presents multiple challenges.
CDU Presents Various Challenges
Allion works closely with AI server manufacturers to assist these clients in various application tests, including SIT, reliability, and SI. Given the critical importance of CDU performance and stability for AI servers, CDU manufacturers place significant emphasis on related validation. Some CDU suppliers, recognizing our collaboration with key server manufacturers, seek our expertise to overcome the challenges encountered during validation.
Four Major Challenges in CDU Testing
▪️ Variable Workloads:
- AI training and inference workloads are highly dynamic, requiring CDUs to quickly respond and adapt to different thermal loads.
- Different types of AI models have varying cooling requirements, necessitating targeted testing.
▪️ Environmental Factors:
- Factors such as room temperature, humidity, and airflow can impact CDU performance, requiring testing under various environmental conditions.
▪️ Lack of Standardization:
- There is no comprehensive set of CDU testing standards established yet, and different manufacturers’ testing methods and criteria may vary, making objective comparisons difficult.
▪️ High Costs:
- Setting up a complete CDU testing environment requires substantial equipment and labor, resulting in very high costs.
Allion Offers Comprehensive Solutions
In response to the challenges faced by our clients, we leverage our comprehensive equipment environment and extensive server testing experience to offer the following solutions:
Simulation Environment Testing:
- We offer the only extra-large 65KW high thermal load Walk-in Chamber verification testing environment in Taiwan.
- We assist in establishing test environments that simulate AI server operating thermal loads, mimicking real-world usage scenarios.
Testing Conditions Planning:
- Allion has a solid understanding of various standards and can help recommend the necessary testing standards for CDU manufacturers or assist in adjusting testing conditions accordingly.
Create Value Time to Market with Quality！
Faster！Easier！Better！
Through Allion’s professional services, we assist clients in building testing environments, providing high-quality validation services, and helping them achieve product quality standards to ensure smooth shipments. Our services offer the following advantages:
Faster
Allion’s special advantage lies in helping clients quickly achieve necessary validations. In situations where clients lack an appropriate environment and cannot find suitable vendors for assistance, we successfully supported them within three months by confirming planning, proposing validation solutions, and ultimately completing reliability testing requiring thousands of hours.
- Superior Equipment
We possess a wide range of equipment to address cooling verification issues. Allion has a large Walk-in Chamber that can accommodate rack-level setups, with sufficient space to validate large CDUs and a thermal load capacity of up to 65KW, the highest in the industry. This equipment meets the verification needs for different CDU workloads.
- Extensive Experience and Expertise
Leveraging our experience working with server manufacturers, we can quickly understand clients’ actual testing requirements and provide effective recommendations.
Easier
Allion’s integrity and experience in reliability verification environments help clients complete their testing tasks more easily. We assist clients in managing environmental control variables to ensure that products are tested under controlled conditions. This is particularly crucial for specialized high-thermal-load Walk-in Chambers, which require large spaces and specialized power supply arrangements with power companies. Additionally, setting up such environments involves specific planning with equipment manufacturers and can take over a year and cost millions to complete.
Better
Allion’s user reliability simulation and validation services significantly enhance the quality and efficiency of client testing. We provide professional environmental control technology to ensure that clients can conduct various tests under realistic and controllable conditions. This precise environmental simulation not only helps clients detect and identify potential issues with their products but also uncovers factors that could lead to failures. Through our services, clients can effectively improve their product reliability and durability, better meeting the high-quality standards required for testing.
If you need high-quality reliability verification capabilities and consulting services, and require a specialized high-standard reliability testing environment, please fill out the form. Allion will help you overcome challenges and achieve your product goals.