Clean technology firm Haydale is set to deploy a graphene-enhanced cooling fluid additive in data centers over the next year.

The Super-Efficient Thermal Transfer Fluid (SETTF) boosts the cooling power of standard glycol-based mixtures, according to the UK vendor.

It has signed deals with cooling company DC Cooling Solutions and graphene manufacturer Levidian Nanosystems to help bring SETTF to market, and said it is in advanced discussions with data center operators to deploy the fluid across 200MW of compute, with the first installations set to commence in the next 12 months.

Glycol is added to cooling fluid to stop systems from freezing, but its presence limits thermal conductivity. Haydale said its testing shows that adding SETTF to a fluid increases this thermal conductivity by 28 percent, a similar level to that which could be achieved by using pure water.

This is because graphene particles have a large surface area, which can absorb more heat. Use of the material in cooling fluids has been limited because its particles can cause the fluid to thicken, but Haydale has reportedly come up with a way to disperse graphene without it negatively impacting the performance of the underlying material.

Simon Turek, CEO of Haydale, which is based in Ammanford, Wales, said: “For a data center operator, better heat transfer means more thermal headroom. That headroom can be used to run processors cooler, reduce the energy and flow required for cooling, or support more compute from the same cooling infrastructure. As AI chips become hotter and rack densities increase, we believe that becomes increasingly valuable.

"We now have application-tested technology, protected IP, production capacity at Ammanford, and commercial agreements establishing our supply chain and route to market. Our priorities are now clear: complete qualification, convert the approximately 200MW of active operator discussions into first deployments, and secure dedicated external capital for the venture.”

Turek added that a tiny amount of SETTF, representing approximately 0.05 percent of the fluid’s total volume, is required to achieve this cooling improvement.

Haydale has signed agreements with Liquitherm, DC Cooling’s parent company, and Levidian, establishing the supply chain and route to market for SETTF. The parties intend to take the product to market jointly through a newly formed, dedicated company, drawing on DC Cooling Solutions' data center customer base and their respective industry channels, with joint manufacturing, marketing and distribution.

Ian Hopkins, chief commercial officer of Levidian, said: “SETTF represents an exciting, high-value application for our G3 graphene. Levidian brings both materials-science capability and an international production platform that can support the venture as it scales into the markets where AI infrastructure investment is growing most rapidly. We look forward to working with Haydale and Liquitherm on qualification and first commercial deployments.”

Stephen Hickson, group CEO and CTO of Liquitherm Technologies Group, added: “The SETTF test results are very encouraging. Achieving improved thermodynamic and hydrodynamic performance while retaining the requisite hydronic, biostatic and corrosion protection characteristics of a robust thermal fluid, operating within direct-to-chip cooling loops, could prove vital in enhancing chip performance (overclocking).

“Our focus is now on qualification and integration into our data-centre cooling fluid range and similar HVAC environments served by the Liquitherm group and our global partners.”