The Liquid Cooling Revolution is Here

The Data Center World 2026 Expo Showcases the Latest Gear for Cooling AI Infrastructure

At the Data Center World 2026 expo in Washington, D.C. the show floor was packed with liquid cooling hardware. Cold plates, coolant distribution units, immersion tanks, modular systems - all of it production-ready. It’s clear that liquid cooling is no longer the future. It’s the present.

Data Center World is the industry’s largest tradeshow, and the 2026 show had record attendance of nearly 7,000 data center professionals, almost all focused on the AI boom and what it will mean for their businesses and their data centers.

At DCW, research released by Omdia predicted that liquid cooling will become mainstream in the next two years, and dominate new deployments by 2030.

In this video, we take you onto the expo floor for a closer look at the latest gear...

This Data Center Download guide summarizes this video, exploring how the transition from air to liquid cooling has officially moved from experimental testing to large-scale production. As AI workloads push power densities beyond the limits of traditional air cooling, you will learn about the latest hardware - from direct-to-chip and two-phase systems to full immersion- that is redefining the modern data center.

📌 Key Takeaways

• Accelerated Growth: Liquid cooling is projected to become mainstream by 2028 and dominate new deployments by 2030.

• Superior Thermal Capacity: Modern liquid systems handle 100 kW+ per rack, doubling the 50 kW ceiling of traditional air cooling.

• Diverse Architectures: Industry options now range from direct-to-chip cold plates and two-phase boiling to total immersion.

• Retrofit Compatibility: New “bridge” technologies allow operators to upgrade existing air-cooled facilities without massive capital rebuilds.

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The Shift in Thermal Management

At Data Center World 2026 in Washington, DC, analysts from Omdia predict a massive market expansion, with the sector expected to reach $30 billion within the next decade. This growth is driven by the necessity of supporting high-density AI chips that generate heat far beyond the capacity of fans and chillers.

The Rise of Direct-to-Chip Cooling

CoolIT Systems currently leads the market with its direct-to-chip cold plates, an approach that accounts for over 40% of the industry today. This method involves mounting a cold plate directly onto the processor and circulating coolant to extract heat at the source. Ecolab’s massive $4.75 billion acquisition of CoolIT signals that liquid infrastructure is now as essential to the data center as the silicon itself.

Cold plates on display at the CoolIT Systems booth at Data Center World. (Photo: Rich Miller)

💡 Key Insight: Direct-to-chip systems can manage thermal loads of 100 kW per rack and beyond, while traditional air cooling typically maxes out between 30 to 50 kW.

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Advanced Cooling Architectures

As thermal loads intensify, the industry is looking toward phase-change technology and total submersion to maximize efficiency. These methods provide higher heat transfer coefficients, which are necessary for the latest generations of high-performance computing hardware.

Two-Phase Cooling with Accelsius

Accelsius recently announced the general availability of the NeuCool IR150, a rack-level system that utilizes two-phase cooling. Unlike single-phase systems, the coolant in this system actually boils at the chip surface, turning into vapor to absorb significantly more heat. The coolant distribution unit (CDU) is integrated into a standard 800 mm wide enclosure, making it a compact powerhouse for extreme thermal loads.

The new NeuCool IR150 units, a high-density cooling rack with a built-in CDU, at the Accelsius booth at DCW 2026. (Photo: Rich Miller)

Modular Immersion by GRC

GRC (Green Revolution Cooling) continues to pioneer immersion cooling, where servers are submerged in a non-conductive dielectric fluid. Their latest ICRraQ NANO modular micro data center can be deployed anywhere with power - including warehouses or edge locations. By submerging the entire server, the fluid carries heat away from every component simultaneously, not just the primary processors.

GRC Chief Executive Peter Poulin with the company’s ICEraQ NANO immersion-cooled micro modular data center at Data Center World. (Photo: Rich Miller)

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Bridging the Gap: Retrofitting Existing Facilities

A major hurdle for many operators is the transition of legacy infrastructure. Not every organization can afford to build a new data center from scratch to accommodate liquid-ready racks.

Airsys and the Retrofit Path

Airsys addressed this challenge by launching a next-generation LiquidRack system designed specifically for retrofit deployments. Supporting up to 80 kW per rack, the system uses a spray-based, server-level approach that localizes thermal management within the chassis. This allows users to integrate liquid cooling into facilities originally built for air without a total infrastructure overhaul.

The Airsys LiquidRack at Data Center World. (Photo: Rich Miller)

💡 Key Insight: “Bridge” technologies are crucial for the industry, as the majority of global data centers were originally designed for air-cooled operations.

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Taking Action

• Evaluate Power Density: Audit your current rack densities; if you are approaching 30 kW, begin planning your liquid transition.

• Determine Deployment Type: Choose direct-to-chip for standard high-density upgrades, or two-phase or immersion for edge and modular environments.

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This text companion accompanies the video “Liquid Cooling is Finally Here” - watch for demonstrations and detailed hardware walkthroughs.