AI Server Liquid Cooling for Australian Engineering Teams

Direct-to-chip liquid cooling mounts a copper or aluminium cold plate directly on the GPU or CPU die surface and removes heat using single-phase liquid coolant flow rather than air. The cold plate is the primary heat exchanger between the silicon and the rack-level cooling distribution unit (CDU). For AI server platforms — NVIDIA GB200, GB300, H200, AMD EPYC SP5, Intel Birch Stream — direct-to-chip is now the practical thermal envelope for densities above 25 kW per rack.

ToneCooling Australia supplies cold plate kits for five AI server platforms most deployed in Australian sovereign cloud, national research computing and edge AI deployments: NVIDIA GB200 Grace Blackwell (1,200 W + 1,200 W + 300 W per Bianca module = 2,700 W total), NVIDIA GB300 Grace Blackwell Ultra (4 GPU + 2 CPU kit with a batch-tested datasheet), NVIDIA H200 (8-GPU baseboard, 8 × 700 W GPU plus 4 × 186 W NVSwitch = 6.344 kW), AMD EPYC SP5 (LGA6096, supporting Genoa, Bergamo, Genoa-X, Turin), and Intel Birch Stream (Granite Rapids, Sierra Forest).

Cold plate design, engineering, and manufacturing are performed at our own IATF 16949-aligned manufacturing facility in Huizhou, Guangdong, China — including channel-topology design, conjugate-heat-transfer CFD simulation, process engineering (TLP diffusion bonding, vacuum brazing, friction stir welding), DFM iteration, and quality validation. The Australian team in Carlton, Victoria delivers customer engineering support, RFQ intake, project coordination, AS/NZS compliance documentation, and pre-sales engineering consultation in Australian Eastern time.

Typical pressure drop (ΔP) for AI server cold plates ranges about 15–40 kPa at the manufacturer-recommended flow rate, depending on platform, channel topology, and inlet temperature. The H200 GPU + NVSwitch assembly is rated for a maximum of 40 kPa at 10 LPM (pure water, 45 °C inlet, per datasheet). The GB200 cold plate kit (TC-BZP-GB200-01A) measures 35 ± 5 kPa at 2.5 L/min in batch validation (pure water, 25 ± 2 °C inlet). Pressure drop can be tuned during DFM iteration to align with your CDU's hydraulic budget.

Every AI server cold plate undergoes production-line QA at our Huizhou IATF 16949-aligned facility before shipment to Australia. Standard validation pack: high-sensitivity helium leak detection (≤ 1×10⁻⁹ mbar·L/s), ultrasonic C-scan inspection of the bonded interface (non-destructive void detection), pressure and flow performance testing (coolant resistance, pressure drop), and environmental reliability testing (thermal cycling −40 °C to 150 °C, humidity 20–98 % RH). Lot-traceable inspection certificates accompany every shipment.

The GB200 cold plate kit uses T2 copper with nitrogen-protected brazing + laser welding. Our in-house joining processes also include proprietary TLP (Transient Liquid Phase) diffusion bonding, which suits copper cold plates that see heavy thermal cycling; process selection is confirmed per programme at DFM/quotation. TLP forms a continuous metallurgical grain structure across the bonding interface, eliminating the brittle braze-filler interface layer found in conventional vacuum brazing. For projects requiring it, we also supply vacuum-brazed copper (legacy hyperscaler grade) and friction stir welded (FSW) variants. Bonded joints are checked by ultrasonic C-scan inspection.

AI server cooling is high-heat-flux per area (700–2,700 W concentrated on a small die), narrow ΔT tolerance (≤ 10 °C across the cold plate), tight pressure-drop budget (CDU-constrained), and uses copper or aluminium cold plates with micro-channel topology. BESS cooling is lower flux, distributed across many cells (15 W per cell across 104 cells), broader ΔT tolerance (cell-to-cell uniformity ≤ 6 °C), looser pressure budget, and uses stamped-and-brazed aluminium plates. Both validate to helium leak ≤ 1×10⁻⁹ mbar·L/s.

Prototype lead time for AI server cold plates is typically 4–6 weeks, depending on the platform, the joining process and the qualification scope. The cycle is: Carlton-coordinated response on receipt of a complete RFQ (TDP map, target ΔP, flow rate, qualification scope) with technical review by the Huizhou design and engineering team; NDA execution; DFM review session; tooled prototype manufacturing and shipping. Air freight from Huizhou to Australian capital cities typically takes 5–8 calendar days door-to-door once parts are released. Production volumes and lead times are agreed at quotation.

Yes. We build custom in-rack and in-row CDUs and engineer them with the cold plates and manifolds on one hydraulic budget, so the flow each GPU receives is validated before shipment. See custom CDUs →

It depends on the heat rejection plant and the site climate. Warm-water designs within the ASHRAE W32 or W40 classes let dry coolers work for more of the year, but they reduce the margin at the processor. We size the cold plate against the site’s actual inlet window during the engineering response.

It depends on the platform. Our GB300 4G+2C kit was tested at 1.7 L/min per GPU cold plate and 0.7 L/min per CPU cold plate; the GB200 kit is specified at 2.5 L/min with a 35 ± 5 kPa pressure drop. The rack flow is the sum across all modules, plus manifold losses, and the CDU is selected to deliver it. See CDU selection →