Cooling
Air, direct-to-chip liquid, immersion, dry and hybrid heat-rejection systems.
Join talent networkDATA CENTER TECHNOLOGY
The machines inside are only half the story.
Cooling, power, automation and construction methods determine how a campus performs—and how its benefits, costs and risks reach the surrounding community.THE TECHNOLOGY STACK
Six connected systems shape the campus.
Power
Utility interconnection, substations, backup systems, storage, generation and controls.
Automation
Sensors, building controls, digital twins, predictive maintenance and robotic inspection.
Modular delivery
Factory-built electrical rooms, cooling skids and repeatable structural assemblies.
Construction robotics
Automated layout, scanning, material placement and additive construction.
Heat reuse
Capturing useful heat for a real nearby demand—not simply labeling it recoverable.
COOLING DECISIONS
Every cooling choice moves heat somewhere.
Widely deployed
Air + evaporative
- Where it helps
- Familiar equipment and operating practices; evaporative heat rejection can reduce cooling electricity.
- What it trades
- Cooling-tower water use and blowdown can rise in hot weather. Airflow management still matters.
- What to verify
- Peak-day potable and non-potable use, WUE, cycles of concentration and drought operating mode.
Scaling for dense compute
Direct-to-chip liquid
- Where it helps
- Moves heat close to high-density processors and can support warmer facility water loops.
- What it trades
- The captured heat still needs a rejection system. “Liquid cooled” does not by itself mean zero water.
- What to verify
- Rack density, coolant loop, heat-rejection equipment, leak controls and service procedures.
Project-specific
Immersion
- Where it helps
- Submerges equipment in dielectric fluid and can reduce fan energy at very high heat densities.
- What it trades
- Hardware compatibility, fluid handling, maintenance workflow and supply-chain support require review.
- What to verify
- Fluid specification, equipment warranty, fire and spill controls, replacement process and end-of-life plan.
Climate-sensitive
Dry + hybrid rejection
- Where it helps
- Can sharply reduce onsite cooling water use and preserve water during drought stages.
- What it trades
- Hot Texas conditions can increase fan energy, equipment size or the need for a hybrid operating mode.
- What to verify
- Design temperature, annual energy model, hours in each mode, noise and maximum summer demand.
PUETotal facility energy ÷ IT equipment energy
WUEAnnual site water use ÷ IT equipment energy
Useful metrics—when disclosed with boundaries, time period, source water and peak-day conditions.
POWER + THE TEXAS GRID
Capacity is a plan, not a promise.
Utility service
New transmission, substations and phased energization must match a studied interconnection—not an announcement headline.
Ride-through + backup
UPS systems and batteries bridge short events; longer backup may use generators or other firm resources.
Onsite supply
Solar, storage, turbines, engines, fuel cells or microgrids can serve defined roles, subject to fuel, emissions and reliability limits.
Flexible operations
Controls may shift or reduce suitable workloads during grid stress, but the committed amount, notice time and verification matter.
TEXAS POLICY SIGNAL · JULY 2026
State direction calls for data centers to fund infrastructure needed to serve them and for new large loads to avoid shifting expansion costs onto residential customers.
Read the state update ↗MODULAR DELIVERY + AUTOMATION
Move repeatable work earlier. Keep accountability local.
Factory-built systems
Power rooms, switchgear, cooling skids and other assemblies can be built and tested away from the site.
Digital coordination
Models, reality capture and automated layout can expose conflicts before work is installed.
Robotic work
Scanning, inspection, material movement and repetitive fabrication can complement skilled trades.
Site integration
Civil work, utility service, commissioning, fire protection and code approval remain local and project-specific.
WORKFORCE EFFECT
Automation changes the task mix. It does not eliminate the need for people.
Training should connect construction craft, electrical systems, controls, digital models, materials and operations.
Liquid-cooling technicianElectrical and substation technicianControls and instrumentation specialistCommissioning technicianWater-treatment operatorRobotics operator and maintainerBIM / digital-layout coordinatorQuality and materials technician
COH 3D CONSTRUCTION
Robotic construction belongs in the data-center conversation.
WHAT THE ROBOT DOES
It places a printable cementitious material in programmed layers.
The printed element remains part of a complete building process: design, engineering, reinforcement, utilities, roofs, doors, finishes, testing, inspection and skilled labor still matter.
Automate repetitive placement. Train people for higher-value work.
Workforce housing
Repeatable housing connected to major construction programs.
Training facilities
Classrooms, labs and demonstration buildings for new construction skills.
Support buildings
Guardhouses, maintenance, storage and selected utility enclosures.
Community assets
Housing, clinics or classrooms when they are part of a funded community commitment.
Campus components
Appropriate walls and structures after engineering, material testing and code review.
Design features
Digitally controlled geometry where conventional formwork would be difficult or costly.
BUILT PRECEDENT + CURRENT PLATFORM
Separate what has been built from what is proposed.
Wave House data center
PERI reports that the 54-meter commercial building was completed with 170 hours of pure printing time. The project demonstrates printed walls—not a fully printed data-center system.
Review the project source ↗Mobile robotic construction
RIC publishes equipment, software and project examples for robotic additive construction. Equipment claims should be verified against the selected machine and job conditions.
Explore the platform ↗RESPONSIBLE ADOPTION
New technology still has to earn its place.
✓ Engineered for the use✓ Code pathway identified✓ Materials tested✓ Total cost compared✓ Operators trained✓ Quality documented
Public education and commercial work are separate.
DataCentersTX.com explains technologies and decision criteria for the public. COH 3D Construction is a commercial project offering. Inclusion on this page is not a certification, code approval or performance guarantee for any machine, material or project.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Start with the public record.
U.S. Department of EnergyData center energy-efficiency resources↗U.S. Department of EnergyCooling water efficiency and WUE guidance↗ARPA-ECOOLERCHIPS cooling research program↗ERCOTLarge Load Integration↗Office of the Texas GovernorJuly 2026 ratepayer and infrastructure direction↗NISTAdditive Construction by Extrusion standards work↗