Keppel is working with oil and gas firm Shell to deploy an immersion cooling pod at one of its data centers.

The project aims to explore the feasibility of deploying such high-efficiency systems in Keppel’s future data centers to support the growing demands of AI and high-performance computing.

According to the companies, the testbed will take the form of a pilot project, which is expected to be operational by May 2026 and will be deployed for 12 months. It will use Shell’s proprietary gas-to-liquids (GTL)-based immersion cooling fluid, installed in an operational server tank.

Based on Shell’s technology benchmarks, compared with air cooling, the GTL technology can improve energy efficiency by up to 48 percent, boost computing performance by up to 40 percent, and reduce capital and operating expenditure by up to 40 percent

Wong Wai Meng, CEO for data centers at Keppel, said: “Keppel is committed to driving continuous improvement in the energy efficiency of our data centers and developing new state-of-the-art data centers that are future-ready and capable of handling denser server workloads.

“While our data centers are mostly designed for air cooling and non-immersion-based liquid cooling operations, we expect the design adaptability of our data centers to also allow for the smooth deployment of this immersion cooling solution, incorporating Shell’s GTL-based immersion cooling fluid, further bearing testament to our ability to meet the evolving needs of our customers for greener and more efficient digital infrastructure. With this testbed, we are also aligning with the national sustainability agenda, while building capability to support Keppel’s future AI data centres in Singapore and contribute to a greener digital future.”

Aw Kah Peng, chairman of Shell in Singapore, added: “Data centers power the global digital economy, and Shell is enabling their growth with more performance and less emissions. We are pleased to deploy our immersion cooling solutions at Keppel’s data center to demonstrate the capability of our GTL-based immersion cooling fluid, which gives operators the reliability, precision, and lower-carbon pathways needed as AI demand increases.

“As Singapore builds its next generation of AI-ready infrastructure, Shell is ready to help it scale faster, run cleaner, and unlock more value.”

The data center involved in the pilot has not been identified. Keppel has eight data centers in Singapore, spread across five locations.

Shell has previously deployed immersion cooling pods at a data center in Texas. The company is one of several in the oil and gas industry to move into cooling, and makes cooling fluids for immersion tanks as well as direct-to-chip systems.