Salute has launched a direct-to-chip (DTC) liquid cooling service to support AI and high-performance computing (HPC) environments.

The company described the solution as “the first of its kind,” and said it represents a “major new milestone” for the data center industry that will help to solve complex operational challenges in the AI and HPC space.

The service helps to mitigate risks associated with DTC liquid cooling, such as leaks or interruptions, by providing companies with a detailed design and operational assessment that creates a customizable model for each individual facility.

Data center operators that use the service are also provided with EOPs, MOPs, and SOPs (Emergency, Maintenance, Standard operating procedures) for all aspects of DTC operations, including chemistry management, leak management, safety protocols, CDU management, risk mitigation, and other operational processes.

Salute also offers a training program and a library of DTC best practices that have been developed in partnership with CDU manufacturers, leak management vendors, hyperscalers, and are continuously updated.

According to Salute, several data center operators, including Applied Digital, Compass Datacenters, and SDC, are already working with Salute for their DTC liquid cooling operations.

“This service has already proven to be a game changer for the many data center service providers who partnered with us as early adopters,” said John Shultz, chief product officer, AI and learning officer for Salute. “By successfully mitigating the risks of DTC liquid cooling, Salute is enabling these companies to rapidly expand their AI/HPC operations to meet customer demand.

“These companies will rely on this service from Salute to support an estimated 260MW of data center capacity in the coming months and will expand that to an estimated 3,300MW of additional data center capacity by the end of 2027. This is an enormous validation of the impact of our service on their ability to scale. Now other companies can benefit from this service to protect their investments in AI,” he added.

Founded in 2013, Salute operates from 12 global offices, providing resources to hyperscale, cloud, colocation, Edge, and enterprise clients. It provides integrated services such as facility operations and management, quality assurance, technical commissioning, and retrofitting services to data center owners.

New Mountain Capital acquired a majority stake in Salute last year from LLR Partners, which still has a minority investment in the company. In January 2025, Salute acquired data center solutions and strategic advisory service provider Keysource in its first deal since being taken over by New Mountain.